Somnium Innocentiae
by Cipher.D
Summary: She had never regretted what she had done. Pride had been Jihl's downfall and it would be her own, but even then she would still follow in her footsteps with her head held high. (Prequel to Fictus Memoriae)
1. Arc 1: Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 or FF13.**

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Life in Academia: a life of training, sleeping, eating, and then training some more. In order for AVALANCHE to attain a level at which they could properly fight against SHINRA's tyranny, they had accepted the help of the Guardian Corps. More specifically, their Special Ops unit. They were top soldiers; literally, the top of the top. Although, Tifa realized that the description was probably born from, and applied to, only one of the soldiers in the unit. Lightning was imposing, strong like steel, but cold like the ice packs Tifa used to soothe any resulting bruises from training.

There were perks in working with Lightning though, and one of them was the fact that Tifa had special privileges. It wasn't anything starkly out of ordinary, but simply that Lightning was marginally nicer to her. As a result, Tifa liked pushing her buttons, just to see when Lightning would snap. Today was special though, and she remembered wondering about this back in Midgar when Lightning had tried using a mallet to cure silence. It was strange that she would insist on calling silence, fog, or how she acted as if there was no such thing as an echo herb, but amidst the slight culture shock for the both of them, this one thing had latched onto Tifa's curiosity and refused to let go. So she decided to test it.

"WHAT THE FRIG IS THIS!" Lightning's yell resounded in the training room, and through the hallways of the Academy.

"L-Light, could you please keep your voice down?" Tifa stammered as she desperately tried to swallow her snickers.

"Keep my-" Her voice choked with anger and indignation, but Lightning's expression was enough to make Tifa laugh even harder. Tifa curled over, clutching her stomach laughing until she almost spilled her gut out. Tears spotted the corners of her eyes, "TIFA!" and at Lightning's second attempt to sound large and imposing, Tifa laughed even harder. "God damn it Tifa, you better know how to fix this."

"Fix this? Why would I-" Tifa tossed her head back to let out a mighty chuckle of triumph before she grinned slyly at Lightning, "You look so cute though."

Her small fists clenched, and Lightning's usual icy cold glare resembled nothing more than a petulant pout on the face of a child. Walking up to Lightning, Tifa marveled at the power dynamics now and patted Lightning's head that barely passed her knee. However, Tifa noticed that the mini spell did look different. Back in Gaia, when the mini spell was cast, the inflicted simply shrunk but kept the same aspect ratios, but maybe because they were on Pulse now, and maybe because it was a spell never known to those from Cocoon or Pulse, there was a slight disfiguration. Rather than a smaller version of her twenty-one year-old self, Tifa thought that Lightning probably looked like her six-year old self. It was a good thing her clothes shrunk with her too. Tifa almost cooed at how cute she looked; a small button nose, big blue eyes that didn't freeze over hell for once, all placed on a round face. Although she looked cute, "Fix this now or you will be in a world of pain once this wears off."

"Haha..." Scratching the back of her head, Tifa collapsed onto the ground and gave Lightning a guilty smile, "Y'see..."

"What?" Lightning would've sounded threatening, if she had actually sounded like she usually does, but the spell had somehow worked its wonders on her voice too.

"I didn't really expect it to work." Tifa started carefully, watching the young blue eyes squint into slits. "I just kinda wondered... Hope said that it would be hard for us to use materia here on Pulse because the Lifestream doesn't reach-"

"I know that!" Lightning interrupted, stomping over to Tifa, "He said that it would be hard. Not impossible. Who in the right mind would-"

"I was curious, a-and we just have to wait until it wears off..." Tifa said, hiding her last few words behind a nervous chuckle, but Lightning had caught it clearly.

"You're telling me that you don't have whatever the hell I need to-"

"Well, we are on Pulse and people don't know what the mini spell is. It's like it doesn't even exist here!" Tifa laughed, fist-pumping the air in hopes to ease away some of Lightning's anger but her enthusiasm seemed to elicit the opposite effect. The soldier was like the literal walking form of doom and gloom, but in petite form. It was almost akin to seeing a child and the dread accompanying them when it was blatantly obvious that a spectacular tantrum was inevitable. "Your mallets here won't do the job, huh, a-and... I don't have one from Gaia either."

"So you cast this spell on me, knowing that you had no way to fix it?"

"I really didn't think that it would work!" Tifa honestly confessed, while wondering how this scene would look to any passerby.

A six-year-old reprimanding someone over a decade older and then, "Damn it." Well, at least Lightning had the decency not to outright swear in this form. "I'm going to find Aerith. Hopefully she can fix this mess." Whipping around, the mini Lightning walked towards the large doors of the training room as fast as her short legs could go.

"I'm sorry!" Tifa pleaded, "Light, I - pfft." Clamping her hand over her mouth, Tifa tried in vain to muffle a laugh again upon realizing why Lightning simply stood at the closed doors and kicked it as if that would magically open it for her. "Here, I-I'll help." The fighter pressed her lips together, desperately trying to stop the corner of her lips from turning upwards as she jogged over to the door. The 'open' button was now clearly too high and out of Lightning's limited reach. With utmost adoration, Tifa swooped her hands underneath mini Lightning's arms and lifted her up like she would a child playing rocket, "Up we go!"

"T-Tifa!"

Grinning, the fighter hummed curiously when the pink haired child simply allowed herself to dangle lifelessly in Tifa's hands despite being held high enough for her to press for the door to open. "Light?" Suddenly, the small elbow dug into Tifa's wrist, making her release her hold. Instead of dropping like a child to the ground and crying over it, Lightning adeptly landed on her feet and whipped around with her open palm held out. Electricity circuited through her arm, building up into a few sparks that spluttered out and died pathetically with a small sizzle. "Oh, right. Uhm... when mini is cast on you, it's nearly impossible for you to do any actual damage." Tifa said, although she now knew Lightning was far from being amused if she was willing to electrify her with a thundaga point range.

"Just open the damn door." Lightning hissed and Tifa swiftly did as told. She followed the mini-fied woman down the Academy hallways before Lightning called her out on it, "Why are you following me?"

"You need me to open doors for you, right?"

Silence. Tifa smiled triumphantly when Lightning had no proper retort. Tifa ambled after her, peeking into Vanille's and Aerith simulation room from the observation windows above because Lightning wasn't tall enough to look through herself and told her that they weren't there. "Go look for her."

"What? Me?"

"Who else!"

With a heavy sigh, Tifa walked off on her search. A part of her didn't want to leave Lightning behind, counting all the missed opportunities to tease the usual serious and stone-faced soldier. There were only a few places Aerith could be, in the mess hall, or in her room, and luckily enough, she came across the Cetra in the first place she visited. The brunette was in the mess hall along with Vanille, Fang, and Cloud. The latter two seemed locked in some heated argument over the fried rice for lunch, while Vanille and Aerith simply smiled and talked to each other amicably. "Aerith?" Tifa greeted, waving at once to everyone else, "I need your help, well, Light needs your help."

"Help? Is something wrong?"

"Uhm... I did a little... experimenting, and uh... she just needs your help."

"What did you do?" Cloud asked, kicking his seat back from the table and crossing his arms over his chest, "If it's not something Lightning can fix then-"

The door slid open behind them, "Let me go! Barret!" Tifa froze before she sighed deeply. She knew she shouldn't have left Lightning alone. All five heads currently in the mess hall turned to see a small girl with a striking resemblance to Lightning kicking her feet furiously as Barret held her off the ground by the back collar of her GC uniform. Jessie, Wedge, and Biggs were with him too, the latter sporting a bruise on his shin and a black scorch mark on his forehead.

"Who let this kid in here?" Barret asked, "What? Is this Lightnin's kid? Why is she dressed like her?"

"Oh... _experimenting_ huh?" Aerith hummed, grinning with delight as she rose from her seat. Even Cloud, who was desperately trying to keep a straight face could hardly stop his lips from quirking into a smirk. Clearly, those two had drew their own conclusions.

"Sheesh, good thing Marlene's not like this kid." Barret said, dropping the 'girl' to the ground before jabbing a thumb at Biggs, "She kicked him in the knee before tasering his forehead before we finally got a hold on her."

"Taser?" Tifa mumbled before remembering the small little thundaga Lightning had been able to conjure up. "Uhm, Barret, that's-"

Fang's chair suddenly screeched against the floor and the spear wielder approached Lightning with seriousness previously unknown to her character. "You're..." Kneeling down beside her, a feral grin suddenly cross Fang's expression before she poked Lightning's gut, "HAHAHAAHAHAA!" Clutching her waist, the Oerban fell back onto her rear and laughed like a madwoman, "That's right! That's Lightnin's kid alright! HAHAHAA!"

"Light has a daughter!" Vanille gasped in all of her oblivious glory and began fretting over everything of little importance.

"Fang, I'm going to kill you." Lightning hissed.

"Like mother like daughter!" Fang yelled in-between laughing fits.

"Really? I would've thought Lightning would raise her kids a little better." Jessie commented innocently, "B-But that's not important, Lightning has a kid?!"

"Of course I don't!" Lightning hollered, making everyone effectively freeze.

"No way." Barret breathed and the realization hit everyone else like a tonne of bricks.

"Y-You're Lightning?" Wedge stammered, eyes wide with shock. Fang laughed even harder, curling onto the ground into a ball before Vanille started fretting over her instead.

"Of course I am! Tifa somehow got this freakin' brilliant idea cast mini on me!"

"MINI?!" Jessie exclaimed and then blushed red, "B-But... why do you look- look so...c-cute...?"

"Like a damn brat?" Barret said loudly, looking down at the small menace glaring daggers up at him.

Aerith knelt on the ground beside Lightning and made an act to examine her, "Hmm... since the mini spell doesn't exist on Pulse and Cocoon, it's possible that, by pure fluke, it somehow... _malfunctioned._ That's why it made Lightning look so young rather than just her smaller self. I don't think we can apply our usual knowledge about the mini spell to this case. It seems to be a special thing. I mean, we can try it on Fang or Vanille to see if-"

"Ha!" Fang puffed out her chest, "Bring it on!"

All eyes turned to Tifa. Holding her hands up in surrender, the fighter smiled weakly, "I really, really didn't think it would work and... I kind of used up the materia."

"It doesn't matter!" Lightning interrupted, "Aerith, fix me."

"Aw... but you look so cute." The brunette cooed, catching Lightning by surprise and pinched her cheek. Before Lightning could recover, Aerith effortlessly picked her up and held her in her arms. Perhaps Aerith knew that she was the one person Lightning wouldn't hit. "You're all flustered!"

"Damn it-"

"Okay, okay, but Light, I can't help you."

"What?"

"I don't have the materia."

"Then Vanille." Lightning said, twisting in Aerith's arms to look at the orange-head.

"I'm sorry Light, but I don't know what mini is," Vanille said, "but it should wear off right?"

A petulant frown furrowed Lightning's brow, and Tifa nearly fawned over how cute the contemplating six-year-old-looking Lightning looked. Taking responsibility for her own actions, Tifa walked over to Aerith and took Lightning out of her arms. She convinced herself that she was not doing this just so she could get her chance to carry the mini Lightning. "I'll go find Hope. Maybe he'll know how to fix it."

Lightning remained strangely quiet, and her expression remained thoughtful even as they left the mess hall. The soldier's hands were holding onto her black hair before she moved them like the leather reigns on a chocobo. "Put me down." Lightning mumbled stubbornly.

"But you let Aerith hold you." Tifa complained but did what she was told nonetheless.

The pink-haired soldier released her hair and started walking down the hallways, "It's awkward. I don't know where to put my hands," Lightning said, and Tifa learned why she was holding onto her strands of hair, "and you're uncomfortable."

"Hm." Tifa pursed her lips.

Lightning continued mercilessly, "Your breasts are too big, I can't balance when they're in my way," and she sought to repeat her stance, "and it's awkward and uncomfortable."

"Pervert." In all her years though, Tifa had never had anyone complain about her assets other than herself though. Was she offended? Maybe a little.

"I should've waited in the training room until it wore off."

Tifa took her chance and got away with ruffling Lightning's hair, "No, I think it was a good thing that everybody else found out. You're always so cold and aloof, but now they know you're capable of silly things too."

"Right, and that's exactly what I want." Lightning retorted sarcastically.

Tifa gave Lightning an owlish look and hooted sagely, "What I'm trying to say is, it made you more... approachable. It's good for the team. I'm surprised Cloud didn't take the opportunity to mock you."

"Unlike someone else here, he won't resort to underhanded tactics when trying to one-up me. He's an asshole but this is low."

"I-I wasn't trying to one-up you for your information." Tifa huffed indignantly.

"Hmph." Despite her tone of displeasure, Lightning didn't refute her. It was strange that she would find this side of Lightning so endearing. When they arrived in Hope's office, the silver-haired man was already there, busy shuffling around behind his desk with folders in his arms.

"Tifa, what can I help you with today?" Hope asked, smiling kindly at the fighter before his eyes drew downwards and towards the little being standing beside her. His mouth dropped open, closed again, and then he cleared his throat. "I'll figure something out." He said, giving a brief nod to Lightning before averting his eyes. It was barely there, but Tifa had caught the pink tint on his cheeks and a laugh that was creeping on his lips.

"That would be greatly appreciated." Tifa said when it became obvious that Lightning wasn't going to explain the situation or even bother thanking him. It felt as if there was already some sort of unspoken understanding between the two, and somehow Hope could read her mind without her even saying anything.

"It's a good thing I've done some past research on this." Hope started as he moved towards his large shelves lined with countless binders and books. "Spells that exist on Gaia but not anywhere else. Seeing that Lightning looks like that, it appears as if there was a... deformity upon her being inflicted with mini."

Laughing nervously at the dangerous look Lightning gave her, Tifa fiddled where she stood, "Haha... saying that it's a deformity is a bit..."

"You're right, it's not very accurate." Hope laughed, collecting the necessary documents before plunking them down onto his desk, "Most spells that exist on Gaia usually have their counterparts here. For example, silence is what we know as fog here. Mini though, is one of the few spells that does not - is not supposed to exist here. Usually, those spells won't affect us because we're not susceptible. However, there are also spells that effectively inflict the same ailment, but the ailment itself causes a different effect-"

"Hope, we didn't come here for a lesson." Lightning promptly interrupted with a tell-tale scowl.

"Yes, but..." Hope grinned, "You sound just as cute as you look."

Her frown deepened, and out of habit, Lightning crossed her arms petulantly across her chest. That was one way to stop Lightning from complaining. "Anyways, the point is, since it appears as if this infliction of mini isn't like the others, it might take me some time to figure out how to cure it. I don't have a supply of mallets here, and any magic originating from here probably won't do the trick. In fact, I would suggest that you refrain from asking Vanille or myself to try to help you. The spell might rebound because there has never been a spell here tailored to treat mini."

"So you're saying I'm stuck like this." The soldier huffed and rolled her eyes.

"For the time being. You could wait until the spell wears off, although we won't know when that will be." Hope said with an apologetic smile.

"It's not that bad," Tifa started, hoping to lighten Lightning's mood, "Here, I'll stick with you until you change back, hm?"

"I seriously doubt having _you_, the person responsible for all of this, around me is going to help-"

"Hey, you can't even open doors on your own-"

"And whose fault do you think that is?" Lightning snapped.

"I said I'm sorry!" Tifa sighed, dropping down onto her knees beside the pinkette, "I'm really sorry."

"Tch. Forget it. I'll wait for the spell to wear off." Spinning on her heel, Lightning angrily stalked towards the door while pushing a chair. There was a burst of worry upon seeing Lightning climb onto it and reach for the button to open the door.

"W-Watch out-"

"Tifa," Hope said from behind the desk, "Lightning's still Lightning. You don't need to treat her like a child because she looks like one. I think she'll take greater offense of you start fretting over her as if she's suddenly become someone that's incapable of doing anything by herself. Nothing stings like wounded pride. Besides, she's safe here. What's the worse that could happen?"

Crash. Both head whipped towards the chair that had toppled to the ground, but much to the relief of Tifa's motherly instincts, Lightning coolly stood in front of the door unscathed and waited for it to open fully. "Light! Wait up!" Tifa called after her, turning to give Hope a quick smile and a word of thanks before rushing out after her. "Where are you going?"

"My room." Lightning stated curtly, picking up her speed, but no matter, due to her sudden small stature, it was effortless for Tifa to catch up. The rest of the short journey was in complete silence and Tifa couldn't blame Lightning for being antisocial. That woman was never one for many words.

The fighter opened the door for Lightning, and she went in without leaving Tifa any words of welcome or dismissal so the black-haired woman blindly followed in as well. Watching Lightning maneuver around her room, swiftly adapting to her current state, left Tifa impressed. Although It looked a little silly, seeing a six-year old push a chair around the room in such a concise, well-organized manner, and scaling it to do whatever she needed before moving onto the next task was also a sight she would never imagine seeing. This made her wonder what Lightning had been like when she was young. Even most adults lacked the discipline that was somehow ingrained in every single firm and determined gesture or movement, yet Lightning had attained it at the young age of twenty-one. Tifa couldn't explain why she felt such bitter-sweet emotions well up inside, and she suddenly felt sorry for Lightning. The control she forces onto herself and her life was something that no one should be subjugated to. "Light?" Tifa said airily, hoping to mask her true feelings, "What are you doing?"

The small pinkette was on her large desk, seated cross-legged with papers stacked neatly in front of her, "I'm changing your training regimen."

"Really?" Tifa walked over, peering over Lightning's shoulder, "How so?"

Perhaps she had been leaning too close, but Lightning shied away and abruptly left, jumping off the table, "Actually, there's something I need to check up on with Hope. I've been having him work on this specifically for our training."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"That's fine." Lightning shook her head, allowing Tifa to open the door to her room while she dragged a chair out to leave outside in the hallway, "I'll contact Hope and tell him I'm on my way. You should look over what I have prepared. I want to hear your input."

"Alright then." The door closed behind Lightning, and Tifa made her way back to the desk again. Briefly glancing over the notes, Tifa looked around for a pen but found none in sight. It wouldn't be Lightning to be so disorganized not to have a pen at a work desk though. She shuffled through the drawers, most filled with memory cards and computer chips. Eventually, she came across a pen, but what sat beside it caught Tifa's attention.

Thinking back to that time in Midgar, Tifa remembered Lightning calling floppy disks ancient pieces of junk, then surely the soldier would think writing letters would be medieval. Yet there was a letter, crumpled enough for Tifa to know that it's old, but still well taken care of. Her brow raised at the sloppy handwriting compared to the relatively neat cursive writing that was on the training regimen.

"Serah?" Tifa whispered quietly to herself, hoping that would help jog her memory. It sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite pin it down. She turned it around, and was tempted seeing the open seal. Curiosity got the better of her, and more than not, Tifa found herself starting to scavenge for information about Lightning. The writing was still messy, making her wonder how old Lightning had been when she wrote this; if she wrote it at all. 

_'Serah,_

_I miss you, although I'm sure you know already. Guess what? Things are finally looking up now. Us survivors, we're planning on starting fresh. Y'know, build a new home! I mean, who better than us to pave the way! We're the heroes after all! _

_Lebreau says hi by the way, she's always asking when you'll come back. Y'know? I might come break you out myself! We'll be together then. We'll get married and live happily ever after! Cause that's what heroes do right?_

_Just you wait Serah, I'll have everything ready for you here. We'll have a big wedding! Lots of cake, and everyone will be there with us. Just like we imagined. Hang in there for me, and don't forget that I will always love you.'_

The name at the bottom was scratched out. Pursing her lips, Tifa carefully folded the letter up again and returned it to its original spot. To say the least, it was a surprise. She did not expect to find a love letter of all things, nor would she imagine Lightning writing something so... intimate yet innocent. What came as a greater surprise though was how the letter blatantly confesses such devotion and love, towards 'Serah,' a female name. It never crossed her mind that Lightning may have a different orientation, although Tifa hesitated to call it 'different', nor was she so arrogant and narrow-minded to suddenly think that Lightning would have any interest in her.

Closing the drawer, Tifa started scribbling down her own thoughts on the training regimen, but her thoughts constantly returned back to the girl the letter was addressed to. "Serah... Serah!" Her mind clicked into the name, rewinding to the time before they had left for the Golden Saucer. In her sleep, Lightning had whispered that name and then got tight-lipped and almost disturbed by Tifa's subsequent questioning. Was Serah a woman Lightning loved then? Of course; she was someone Lightning wanted to marry. Poking her chin with the tip of the pen, Tifa leant back on the chair and stared at the wall. She was even more curious then, what sort of person would turn Lightning's head? Who would draw her attention and hold it to the point that even in her absence, Lightning's devotion would not waver even once despite Hope's obvious infatuation with her?

The door slid open and Tifa nearly jumped from her seat. Twisting around, she watched Lightning walk in, dragging the chair back. "So? What did Hope say?" Tifa started the conversation on another topic rather than the one on her mind.

"He's almost done."

"Done... what?"

"Not something you need to worry about." Lightning replied, "At least, not until he finishes it. Tifa, could you go collect something for me?"

"Hm? Sure, of course." Pushing herself away from the desk, the fighter headed towards the door.

"Could you go around to Sazh, Vanille, and Fang? Get their training schedules for everyone else. I want to know what they have planned. As the one spear-heading this task, it's my responsibility to keep track of everything."

"I'll be back." Tifa left, her pace as she walked down the hallway faltered slightly and she glanced back at Lightning's closed door. Would Lightning somehow know that she had been snooping? Hopefully not.

Returning to her seat on her desk, Lightning shuffled through the papers and froze when she saw the pen Tifa was using. She had many pens in her desk, but that one was different. It was a gift; a present a certain PSICOM had given her knowing of the letters Lightning had written to Serah as Snow. Yanking open the drawer, she narrowed her eyes at the letter sitting there.

In her mind, this had always been a cruel form of punishment. The nightmares she had suffered from PTSD, the restlessness and anxiety, had been harsh. In her cowardness, she would take medication to lessen them, yet she would always keep these trinkets and momentos of the past in order to constantly remind herself of what she had done. Jihl seemed to derive pleasure seeing her guilt, and Lightning wasn't so stupid not to realize that the blonde simply saw this as proof of her power.

If Tifa had read this, what had she thought of it? What would she think if she knew the truth? To Lightning, this letter embodied all of her selfishness and guilt, all of the ugly sides to her that she believed no one else needed to know about. She could simply continue pretending to be the soldier that her cadet self had idealized. Looking at her small hands; hands that appeared to be of a child's, Lightning let out a dry humorless chuckle. She really was hopeless. At what point? Her face remained emotionless. At what point had she taken the wrong turn?

From the beginning.

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**And thus starts Somnium Innocentiae (Dream of Innocence). I'll most likely switch from writing about the present (takes place during FM) and the past for this fic. I don't want to repeat too much of FM so anything I add here will most likely be new.**

**The 'mini Lightning' part of this chapter takes place shortly after Lightning starts training Tifa.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 or FF13.**

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_**Eleven Years Ago**_

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Her hand tightened on the small twig in her hand as she drove it into the sand, carving her name onto the shifting substance. Every time she would drag the twig through to leave an imprint, the sand filled in the cracks and buried her name again. Withholding a huff of air in her mouth, her cheeks puffed outwards before she swiftly grew bored of the sand and stood up to face the rolling waves. Carelessly, she tossed the twig into the water but the wind blew it back at her. There was a storm coming. Narrowing her eyes on the approaching dark clouds, she kept that knowledge in the back of her mind and returned her attention to the beach again. Several rocks were peppered over the floor and ever since she could remember, she had always made a game of tossing rocks into the water to see how many times she could make it skip. It was like a competition of sorts, and one of the few games she had played with her dad... when he was still alive. Winding her arm back, she tossed the rock like a whip and watched with a small triumph as it bounced once, twice, and then thrice before it sunk to the bottom of the ocean. Even though she was by herself, she could have fun doing this. Again and again, she threw the rocks into the water; lost in her own game before the sensation of a water droplet falling onto her cheek put a stop to it all. The clouds were close now and the sun had long set. There was a storm brewing, seeing as there were lights flashing behind the darkened sky in the distance. Lightning suddenly flashed across the sky with a loud thundering cry that made her jump at the surprise.

"Claire!" A voice called out to her, prompting her to turn to see that woman again who had been following them around ever since their dad had died. She had told her that she was from some children support services... someone from the city orphanage. "It's dangerous standing there!" The woman yelled at her but the young pinkette only turned back to look at the turbulent ocean again. Just moments ago, as she was carelessly tossing rocks, the ocean had been calm and still, but now she could see how violent the waves were starting to become. All of this just because of a lightning storm. "Claire!" A hand snatched her wrist and forcibly dragged her back towards shelter. The rain had grown heavy, soaking her from top to bottom and her feet stumbled in the sand, sometimes falling down when she was unable to keep up with the woman who had came to take Serah to the orphanage. Lightning streaked across the sky again, lighting the darkness in a brilliant flash of light. The woman jumped at the noise that rippled through the air causing Claire to notice how uneasy it made the adult. Only once they were beneath shelter did the woman stop. Her tight grip on Claire's wrist lessened before she turned and shook off her jacket and wrapped the young girl with it. "Claire! Never do that again!" The woman's hands grabbed her shoulders and shook her roughly as if that would help get her point across, "What if something happened to you? What about Serah?"

Serah. Her hands clenched into fists as she clutched the jacket tighter, seemingly trying to hide herself away in shame. After her mom had died, her dad tried to take care of them, but he's gone too now. Who would take care of Serah then? Puffing up her cheeks, she could only stare at the ground in disappointment at herself. "What are you two doing here?!" An unfamiliar voice called out to them. It was gruff and clearly a man, and a Guardian Corps from the looks. "There's a hurricane coming! I thought there was an announcement-"

"I know. I'm sorry." The woman answered and gave Claire a small little shove from behind, "She disappeared from my watch so I went looking for her."

"Well, let's get you both somewhere safe." The man said, looking between the woman and the dejected little girl. "Hey, chin up." Sneaking in a chubby finger underneath her chin, he tilted Claire's head up playfully and winked at her, "Everything will be alright." Alright? The word resounded in her mind. Following the large soldier until they were back at the orphanage, the moment she walked in, she was bowled over by a smaller version of herself. Serah clutched onto her, crying as if there was no tomorrow with her little fists punching her weakly for being so cruel as to leave her behind. Guilt instantly had her in its clutch and she could only pathetically apologize and hold her sister in a hug. The woman didn't say anything, but the soldier had surprisingly laughed. His booming chuckle reduced Serah to only sniffles as the younger pulled away and looked up at him while rubbing her eyes clean of the tears. "Is she your sister?" Serah nodded and clutched onto Claire's hand tightly as she hid behind her older sister from the large man. "It's dangerous to go to the beach when there's a storm coming." The man said sagely and thumped Claire's head lightly with his fist, "Don't do that again. Promise?"

"P-Promise." Claire mumbled as she looked up uncertainly at the soldier.

"Good. You kids have to look after each other! There's no leaving your sister behind okay?" A pout had unwillingly formed on her lips and Claire glared hard at the ground again. She was expecting a scolding but a hand rested firmly over her head and ruffled her hair gently, "And no crying allowed!" The man said, grinning ear-to-ear.

"I... I wasn't going to cry."

"Good." The man pulled back, chuckling at the youngster's petulance and exchanged helpless looks with the woman from the orphanage, "What's your name Pinky?"

"Pinky?" Claire repeated dumbly before she fiddled with her hair and glanced down at Serah.

"Her name's Clai-" The woman was about to answer before she cut her off with abruptly.

"Lightning." All eyes turned to her but she bravely withstood it all. Clearing her throat, she tightened her hold on Serah's hand and swore never to let it go again. "My name..." There was a short silence and she could see the two adults give her a strange look as if they were judging her for being so childish. She'd be strong though, like the lightning that could throw all of these adults in a panic and stir the ocean up in a fit. Releasing a deep breath, she looked the soldier straight in the eyes and told him with a strong voice, "I am Lightning."

The questioning look in the man's eyes soon disappeared before a smile that reminded her of her own father came to be. Kneeling down so that they were at eye level, he offered his hand in an adult handshake as if he had somehow witnessed how she had came to her resolve and respected her for it. "Nice to meet you Lightning. The name's Amodar." She shook his hand awkwardly as her small delicate hand was completely dwarfed by his large giant-like hand.

"Alright _Lightning_. Let's get you clean and dry." The woman said, emphasizing her new name in a way that made it seem like it was some sort of joke. Lightning didn't budge though, looking at Amodar and his warm smile until he had gave her a small wave of his hand. She didn't know if she should wave back at him as well, considering that he was a soldier, and her dad had always saluted her whenever they played games that involved them pretending to be soldiers. Pushing the woman's hand slightly away, she gave Amodar a perfect salute before it was Serah's turn to pull on her hand. She headed towards the washroom listening to Amodar's laugh until the door closed behind her.

* * *

_**Two Years Later**_

* * *

Laughter sounded in the hallways and kids bound their way down, playing soldier and terrorist. "Bang!" One of the boys yelled while the other screamed and pretended to die before they bursted into laughter. Rolling her eyes at their antics, Lightning tightened her grip on her books as she strolled down the hallway. "Hey! Hey!" They yelled after her, "It's _Lightning_. She's gonna zap you!"

Whipping around with the speed to do her name justice, the boys only snickered while other bystanders whispered amongst themselves. In just a few months of cadet school, it seems that other kids found her name funny.

But they didn't understand. No one understood.

"Oh yeah? How about you get your butt over here so I can kick it across the hallway!" The pinkette yelled before a hand clamped down on her head imposingly.

Other kids instantly paled as the commanding voice of the Lieutenant spoke clearly and strictly, "No one will be kicking anyone's butt across the hallway. Lightning, I will see you in my office." She could see the snide smirks on the other kids but she grudgingly listened and followed the GC back to his office. Once inside, the pinkette gave him a stiff salute but her glare didn't weaken. "At ease Light." Amodar sighed before he leaned back on his chair and tossed his feet up onto his desk, "Are the other kids picking on you again?"

"It's _Lightning_. Not Light."

"You see? Right there." Amodar said with an exaggerated tone, "It won't hurt you to be a little more friendly."

"I don't care."

"I know you don't care, but why don't you try to make some friends?"

"I... I'm not here to make friends."

Rubbing his face with his hand, Amodar shook his head at the youngster's petulant glare, "You're gonna learn how to kill with that look soon." He jested lightly before the twelve-year-old frowned even deeper and chose to direct her stare at the ground. "Hey, heads up okay? No more lookin' down." The man said before he put his feet back onto the ground and sat seriously at his desk, "Anyways, I called you here to talk to you about your schooling."

"My schooling?" Lightning repeated before she grabbed a seat in one of the chairs facing his desk, "It's only been a few months though."

"Yes... but it seems your instructors are very... impressed." Amodar said while scratching his head with the tip of his pen, "They say you have a natural talent with the blade and gun. It's... incredible actually."

"Oookay..."

"We want to see how you perform during this semester."

"Semester?" Lightning asked, tilting her head slightly at the unknown word.

"Well, until next summer when the new classes start." Amodar explained, keeping in mind that he was talking to a child who had just entered cadet school. "It seems like they think we have a prodigy in our hands!" The man laughed and looked at Lightning proudly.

"Prodigy?"

"A genius."

"Oh..." Shifting in her seat uncomfortably, Lightning fiddled with her fingers. She had been told many times that she was far too mature for her age. "Uhm... Lieutenant, what will happen next summer then?"

"Let's see... military prodigies are... kinda like gems." Amodar hummed, "We treasure them, hoping that they'd serve the people well in the future. You'd kinda be like Nabaat's second coming."

"Nabaat's second coming?"

"Ah, right. I forget how old you are sometimes." Amodar teased, "Like a second Jihl Nabaat but hopefully you're not as... well, I don't want to be offensive, but less _passionate_." He seemed to chuckle at his own use of the word before continuing, "Sometimes, you have to remember you have a life outside of the military as well."

"Jihl Nabaat... you mean the Lieutenant Colonel of the PSICOM?" Lightning asked, recalling the name mentioned in class and whispered amongst classmates as some sort of person they should look up to.

"Yeah, her." Amodar confirmed, "A prodigy in her own right. The lady's only twenty-four and she's near the top already!"

"You think... I can be like her?"

"Well, hopefully not like her... but a prodigy of our own! For the GC! Now they can't constantly brag about her during those joint training programs."

"Then what?"

"Placement in advanced classes? Instead of using those paintball guns and wooden sticks in class, you'll be training with real ones. You're still young though, so I'm not going to have you doing that stuff this quickly. You'll most likely be offered scholarships left and right!"

"Scholarships? You mean money?" Lightning asked, perking at the possibility.

"Money? Yeah, they can give you money."

Hiding a small smile, the young pinkette quickly saluted the lieutenant, "I should head to class. I don't want to be late."

"Late? You better be off then. Oh, and Lightning? If those boys keep giving you grief, tell me and I'll kick their butts across the hallway okay?"

Snuffling a laugh, the young girl shook her head, "You'll be showing fa-vor-it-ism."

"Favoritism?" The man repeated numbly before laughing that laugh which would remind Lightning so much of her father. Closing the door respectfully behind her back, Lightning dashed down the hallway for her afternoon classes. After meeting Amodar two years ago shortly after their dad had died, the GC soldier seemed to have filled in that gap the loss had left. Of course, it wasn't the same, but at least he was there whenever Lightning and Serah needed him. He didn't share that look a lot of adults seem to give her... it made her feel as if she was inadequate.

She would take care of Serah no matter what, it was a vow she had made on that night ago when she became Lightning. There was no looking back now, and she had a goal. "Prodigy..." Lightning repeated to herself before she suddenly dropped to the ground. Placing her textbook on the floor, she pulled out the small computer tablet the school had provided for the students. It didn't take long to find articles and pictures about the famed Lieutenant Jihl Nabaat of the PSICOM. If she could be like her, then she would get a lot of scholarships... then she could have the money to take care of Serah herself rather than having her stay at that orphanage.

Picking up her textbook and tablet, Lightning quickly shuffled off to class and slipped in right before it started. Taking a seat at the front row, she looked one last time at Lieutenant Colonel's face before she smiled to herself.

Lieutenant Colonel Farron - no, Lieutenant Colonel Lightning of the Guardian Corps. She liked how that sounded.

* * *

**So Lightning's ten years old in the first part, twelve in the second.**

**I've made Jihl twelve years her senior. Still young, but I think old enough.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 or FF13.**

* * *

The alarm erupted beside her, the loud song she had set boomed at her bedside. Like a rocket, Lightning bolted from her bed with her heart in her throat when she saw the time. "CRAP!" Tossing off her blankets, she clumsily scavenged for her uniform in her dark room. Haphazardly tossing on the cadet uniform, she was about to bolt for the door before she stumbled, tripping over her feet to come to an abrupt stop. "Serah! I'm heading out now!"

There was a small mumble that came from the tightly wrapped bundle curled up in a ball on the bed side hers. Even if she ended up late, that was fine because every morning, Lightning would rather listen to the teacher reprimand her for being late than to miss seeing Serah slowly sit up on her bed whilst rubbing her tired eyes. "Bye Sis... I'll see you tonight." Grinning widely, the older sibling bolted out the door and out of the orphanage.

They were ten and eight years-old when they first came here, and they've been here for three years now. The young rose-colored hair girl blitzed down the stairs, but a tired and sleepy voice called out to her. "Sis? You're heading out now?" Fighting a growl from grumbling from her throat, she twisted around to see the other and scowled at the blond boy standing at the doorway to his room.

"I'm not your sister." She coldly snapped and dashed off, fuming at the stupid smile as if he wasn't even the least bit offended by her purposefully offensive nature towards him. He had a name, and it was Moron Number One. The other annoying small blond kid was Moron Number Two. The kid with the crazy red hair was Moron Number Three, the weird blue haired boy was Moron Number Four, and the girl that's always with them was Moron Number Five. Although other people knew them as Snow, Marqui, Gadot, Yuj, and Lebreau, she had ranked them on a stupidity scale because that was their only redeeming factor; fodder for her to feel better about herself. Truthfully, she had no idea why Serah always hung out with them.

The streets outside were already bustling with life. Cars zoomed left and right while the sidewalks were starting to fill with those walking to work or school. Kids at the orphanage were schooled there, all except for Lightning whom the GC Lieutenant had extended a special invitation to her. She had often heard adults praising her about her maturity, how she had already outgrown childish fantasies and whimsies, and she took those compliments with pride. As a result, she entered into the Guardian Corps Academy, hoping to do something with her life that didn't require her to waste anytime going through the regular Cocoon schooling system and guaranteed her a job in the future. It was a fast track to adulthood and Lightning wanted to rush though it as fast as possible so she could better support Serah. She had done all of this with Serah in mind, after all, it was the two sisters against the world because the only family they had left was each other.

The GC Academy wasn't far from the orphanage, but a good fifteen minutes away if she were walking. If she ran though, and Lightning was quite proud of her speed, she could make it there in under five minutes. Sprinting down the streets, Lightning weaved through the migrating crowds of people. She loved running. She loved how it made her heart race, and how it made her body feel alive and burning with energy. As she approached the GC Academy gates, she slowed herself down into a brisk walk and ignored all the other cadets just as how they had ignored her. Even the teasing had stopped and no one had the guts to bully her. Loner Lightning; that's how she liked it. In her fast track to adulthood, she had no time for spoiled kids who would rather waste time complaining about having too much homework, or how their parents didn't buy them this or that. "Lightning?"

Snapping out of her walk and into a perfect salute, the young girl greeted the teacher of her morning class who had coincidentally came across her in the hallway, "Sir, good morning, sir!"

"At ease." She chuckled, "You're running unusually late today."

"Yes, my sister - she was feeling sick last night so I-"

"You stayed up to take care of her?"

"Yes."

"You're such a hard worker." Grinning, her teacher ruffled her hair slightly, "Just make sure you take care of yourself too."

"Understood!" The two walked into the classroom together, parting ways immediately after their entrance. Although the teacher walked to the front, Lightning had gone to the back of the classroom to the seat she had been assigned. The looks from her classmates didn't escape her notice, but she chose to ignore it as always. She had no doubt that the other kids disliked her because they all thought of her as a teacher's pet.

Releasing a deep breath, she slumped slightly down in her seat and remained that way for the rest of the class as the teacher droned on and on about Pulse and Cocoon history. Although she respected the teacher, she didn't even know why she should care about what she was being taught. All that mattered was that she followed orders, knew how to shoot a gun or how to swing a blade... and know about strategy and other tactical... stuff. Although she looked like she paid attention, her vision was blurred as she stared bleakly at the board where the teacher's notes were being scribbled on.

"Although this is a Guardian Corps cadet academy, there will be a time in your life where you will have to make the choice though." The teacher said, finally closing the textbook. Lightning tuned in for the last second, and looked onwards with bored eyes, "The PSICOM or the Guardian Corps, both are respectable in their own rights, so choose wisely and weigh all of your values carefully. You're all still young, but in five years, you will all be drafted based on recommendations of your teachers and instructors, of course, with your preference in mind."

A hand shot up, "But aren't soldiers all the same?"

Lightning rolled her eyes and glared at the clock as if she could scare time and make it go by faster. "There are many different kinds of soldiers. In the end, you should become the kind of soldier you want to become."

There was a murmur amongst the students, but Lightning kept to herself. Closing her eyes and cross her arms across her chest, she resignedly started to tune out the voices of these... kids. In her mind, the soldier that she would become would be the soldier she was required to be under the circumstance. She was drawn out of her thoughts when the intercom buzzed loudly, "Cadet Farron, please report to Lieutenant Amodar's office. Lightning, please report to Lieutenant Amodar's office."

"Well, you heard it." The teacher said, dismissing Lightning, "Off you go."

"Understood." Standing up, the young pinkette quickly snapped in salute before walking off briskly, ignoring all the looks she was getting from her classmates once again. Almost everything she did seemed to draw their gossip. She rounded the corners swiftly, knowing the way to Amodar's office like the back of her hand. A swift knock on the door, and she slipped in to see the large man pacing back and forth behind his desk. "Lieutenant?" Lightning called out to him, and in an instant he spun around and grinned.

"Hey Light!"

"It's Lightning-"

"I've got some good news for you!" Amodar continued, completely disregarding the younger's persistence, "It's finally time to show off our Bodhum Blitz!"

"Bodhum... Blitz?"

"Bodhum Blitz." Amodar hummed proudly, looking at Lightning with a little twinkle in his eye, "That's you."

"Bodhum Blitz?" Lightning repeated, scowling slightly at the new nickname.

"That's right, B.B."

"B.B.?" Lightning repeated numbly, "Don't call me that."

"Why? I think it suits you. Anyways, that's not why I called you here. Y'see, I've got you signed up for something impressive." He grinned, grabbing a seat at his desk as he motioned for Lightning to sit across from him, "As you know, the drafting for our senior cadets is going to be in three month's time, and like all drafting events, a... exercise of sorts will be held in which the PSICOM and Guardian Corps flex a little muscle to attract the best prospective soldiers."

"But I'm not-"

"You're still young and you've still a long way to go, but we've never had a cadet as promising as you are. I really wasn't joking when I said we had a military prodigy in our hands. You've somehow blitzed through all the practical training." Amodar tossed his head back and chuckled loudly, "Get it? _Blitz_ed through? The Bodhum Blitz?"

Lightning frowned and glared at the adult, "Lieutenant..."

"Right, anyways, back on track, last year this event was in Eden and I think - no, all of us here think you're ready to see a little more of the real world. This year it will be held in Academia at the Coliseum. We want the best for all the little guys, but for those that especially excel, we don't want to waste even a drop of that talent. That's why I'm going to string you along on this trip."

"Me?"

"Yes, but there'll be others with us. We'll be going with our top senior cadets for their drafting. You won't participate in the Coliseum battles because you're still too young, but we think you've got enough potential to get your name out there and make some connections. All the hotshots from the Guardian Corps and PSICOM will be there."

"Oh... okay." Pursing her lips, Lightning glanced at the calendar hanging on the wall, "Three months from now? How... long will I be there for?" As always, the first thing she worried about was Serah.

"How long? It's usually a two week affair."

"What about Serah? I can't leave her for that long!"

"I knew you'd say that, but unfortunately, we can't bring Serah along. Or else we'd be showing favoritism. You're coming because of the hard work you've done. I know how important Serah is to you, so why don't you go and talk about this with your sister? See what she thinks? I'll go talk to her too!"

"Understood..."

Amodar rose from his seat and poked her forehead playfully, "Atta girl. The orphanage has taken care of both of you for so long now, and I'm sure they'll continue doing a good job. Serah will have Snow and his friends to keep her company too."

"That's the last thing I want." Lightning mumbled before the large man shoved her from behind and ushered her towards the door.

"Be nice. Snow is a good kid, they all are, and they're all just trying to make Bodhum a better place. Like you."

"I'm nothing like him!"

"Well, he is a lot more friendlier." Amodar laughed, "Alright, you've got a class you should hurry to now. Wouldn't want our Bodhum Blitz to fall behind."

Practical classes were a breeze, she had nailed every bulls-eye in target practice and disarmed her classmates in battle practice with her eyes closed. All she could think about was Serah. Ever since their parents' deaths, she couldn't remember a time in which they were separated. Lightning had went through the day in much of a daze, even as she numbly walked home contemplating about how to tell Serah this. Her eyes drifted up to the car parked outside the orphanage. Recognition sparked and in an instant, Lightning lurched forward and dashed inside. "Lieutenant!"

"Hey Light! What took you so long?" The large man boomed when she came across him lounging on the sofa with Serah sitting across from him. Even Snow and his ragtag group was there.

"Sis!" Serah waved, "Uhm... Amodar told me..."

Her mouth dropped open, fists clenched at her side, "Lieutenant, can I speak with you? Privately?"

"Hm? Yeah, sure thing." The two stepped outside, standing in front of Amodar's car, "Let me guess, you wanted to tell Serah yourself."

"Why are you here?"

"Why am I?" The man sighed and rested a firm hand on Lightning's shoulder, "Look, how long have I known you for? Three years kiddo. This chance - this isn't something you should give up."

"But-"

"Think of the long-term. Going to this trip is gonna put your name out there. It's the perfect opportunity to get on the fast track to success. Think of all the scholarships! Everything you're doing is for Serah, I know that, but it's just for two weeks."

"I don't want to leave her!"

"Light-"

"I promised I won't ever leave her behind!" Lightning scowled and stomped her foot on the ground, "I'm not going to go."

The door slipped open and Serah stepped out hesitantly, "Sis?"

"Serah-"

"Y-You should go!" Serah suddenly yelled before blushing blight red, "Uhm... I'll be fine... by myself. S-Snow and Lebreau... all of my friends will be here so... I won't be lonely."

"B-But-" Lightning protested, withering at the Serah's shake of her head, "I... made a promise."

"I'll be fine, sis. I'll cheer you on! You're going to be with all the strong and famous soldiers right? It's only for two weeks! It's... something you want to do right?" Serah shifted as if to gather her courage before she boldly stepped up to her older sister and grabbed her hands, "You're... always in school now. You're here, but... you're not really here." The rest of Serah's words rang hollow after hearing that last sentence. It wasn't anger that swelled in Lightning's chest, but sadness because she had hoped that Serah would understand why she wasn't around as much as she wanted to be. Everything she had done, had been done with only Serah's well-being in her mind.

"Fine." Lightning mumbled, glaring hard at the ground beneath her cadet boots, "I'll go." After all, this was what Serah wanted her to do.

"R-Really?" Serah asked excitedly, her bright baby blue eyes shining with a pride that Lightning couldn't see for herself.

"That's good news." Amodar hummed beside them before he rested a gentle hand on Serah's back, "Why don't you step in first? I want to talk to your sister a little more." The older sibling didn't bother raising her head, never having felt so suddenly defeated after becoming 'Lightning.' She listened numbly to Serah following the orders of their father-figure, and couldn't will herself to reply properly to her sister's departing words of encouragement. "I think you've misunderstood her." Amodar said quietly, his voice void of his usual playfulness. "She's thinking of you."

"I know."

"She wants you to do what you want to do-"

"I know!" Lightning snapped before a painful lump jammed in her throat. Whipping around to face the large man properly, she gave him a form-perfect salute, "My apologies, sir, I spoke out of place, sir." Yet she still refused to look at him.

"Hey, remember? No looking down anymore." A chubby finger poked her forehead, and with all the patience in the world, Amodar sat himself down on the stairs leading up to the orphanage doors, "Sit." He patted the space beside and Lightning did as told, "Light, both Serah and I want what's best for you. Your sister, she might be only eleven but she's a smart girl. She knows how hard you're working, and she knows how dedicated you are to her. Just give her this chance hm? She only wants you to do what you want."

"What... I want..."

"And what is that? What is it that you want?"

"I..." Her hands scrunched on her lap, twisting at the fabric of her uniform, "I don't want to go." Lifting her head, Lightning snuck a furtive glance at Amodar and even though he had hardly reacted, she could feel his disappointment slowly suffocate her. Pursing her lips, Lightning returned to glaring at the ground no matter how many times Amodar told her not to, "I know it's only for two weeks, but... what if that turns into more? I want to do good in school, I want to be the best! The best cadet, the best sister, the best... everything... just for Serah. That's what I want, but what if I can't handle it? What if I don't have enough time? Serah said it herself that I don't spend time with her anymore, but going to this would only do exactly just that! It'd make it even worse then."

"It's sometimes hard to keep in mind that you're still thirteen years old." Amodar sighed, resting a hand on Lightning's shoulder, "You think and worry too much."

"I have to take care of Serah."

"There are others aren't there? I'm here, Snow, and all of his friends, the nice people from the orphanage, and Serah's smart. Your sister is smart, and sometimes I think she's even smarter than you. Wiser."

"What?" Lightning huffed indignantly. While she was proud of her younger sister, the fact that she was being told that she wasn't smarter left her feeling quite under-appreciated.

Amodar chuckled kindheartedly, "Come with me to Academia. Take sometime away from Serah, and maybe you can finally understand what I mean. Kiddo, it's tough being you, but with a sister like you, it's tougher being Serah."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You love Serah, but your sister loves you just as much. If you were in her place, would you want her to give up such a great opportunity? Y'know, these things don't come dropping in on your lap all the time. Sometimes, they never do. When you do good as a cadet, when you're happy with what you've accomplished, your sister is just as happy. She would be proud. More proud of you then yourself."

"If I do this, Serah would be happy. Then I'll go. I already said I would go."

The large man sighed again, shaking his head at the petulant frown on Lightning's face, "Serah this, Serah that; I can see you making someone very jealous of her in the future."

Her frown deepened with confusion, "Who?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 or FF13.**

* * *

Usually, the prospect of going on a trip would excite people; especially a child in her position. Lightning lessened it to a field-trip, although she did realize that this was in fact an honor. Shifting in her seat, the soles of her cadet boots scraped the top of her ragged bag where she had packed her uniforms, toothbrush, and other extra amenities that she required. It was tucked beneath her chair situated right behind Amodar's seat beside the pilot. "Isn't she... a bit young?" Her ears picked up on the curious comment of the pilot. He seemed younger than Amodar, probably in his early thirties, but the most outstanding feature he had was his afro hairstyle. "Already sending children in to fight?"

Keeping her eyes trained out the window at the clear blue sky and vast landscape of Pulse, the young Farron kept her ear open to Amodar's reply, "Her? She's a special case. Too young to fight but this one's got talent. I want her to know what she's getting herself into."

"Well, let's just hope they keep the kids out of the fray." The pilot commented, "You're GC aren't you? Even though you're stationed in Cocoon, you've probably heard of the ruckus in Oerba right now. The military's scrambling to keep that... _plague_ under control."

"Geostigma right?" Amodar mumbled, casting a glance at Lightning that didn't go unnoticed, "Well, what can we do?"

"Nothing but pray for the best."

Pray for the best? Lightning's fists unconsciously clenched on her lap and her stare sharpened into a dagger. She was more than familiar with Geostigma, knowing that this was the sickness that had cost her mother her life and thus drowned her father in a pit of grief. He died a few years later, not because of depression, but because he had a severe seizure attack. Even if his depression didn't drive him to his death, it appeared he was just meant to die before he could see either of his daughters pass their tenth birthday. "Stupid." Lightning muttered underneath her breath so no one would hear. As far as she was concerned, _pray_ing won't help save those people dying nor would it help those left behind.

"Hey, check it out!" A flutter of excited voices broke Lightning from her thoughts, and her attention turned to the large city approaching in the distance. She had never been to Academia, never been to Pulse, and hardly traveled outside of Bodhum, yet experiencing all of this felt so surreal - to the point where Lightning felt strangely detached to what was happening around her. Serah wasn't here to see this sight with her, so in her mind, everything felt of little importance.

"Impressive isn't it?" Amodar hummed, looking from the few top graduating cadets to Lightning before giving her a special grin, "The GC won't get anymore impressive than what you'll see here, and I'm sure it'll knock your socks off."

The pilot chuckled and quipped, "Anything's better than the PSICOM right?"

"Exactly. Hit the nail right on the head!"

Both men laughed at some inside joke, and even the other older cadets laughed as well, although Lightning didn't know if they were just conforming to the adults or if they actually understood what was so funny. She merely pursed her lips, showed not even an ounce of amusement, and turned back to watch the large city approach. The buildings were larger than any building she'd seen in Bodhum, and the small vacation city was easily dwarfed by the grandeur of Academia. It was impressive, but not impressive enough to raise her eyebrows. Quietly, Lightning secluded herself to her chair, choosing to keep silent while the others had gone on in their own conversations. "So?" Her eyes lifted from the window to the pilot and caught his friendly smile, "What's your name girly?"

"I'm not girly." Lightning stated bluntly, "It's Lightning."

"Lightning huh? I'm Sazh. Sazh Katzroy. You don't look so excited."

"Why should I?"

He hummed thoughtfully and in a show of skill, easily maneuvered the transport through the landing circles as it guided them down to the hangar, "Sounds like you got the special treatment."

"What?"

"You're just a kid and-"

"I'm not a _kid_."

"Ahahah, all kids who say they're not kids are kids." Sazh announced sagely, "You're just... really mature for your age. Frankly, it's kind of awkward, but... I guess it can be a good thing too. Look at you, just a kid, here doing what the big kids do."

"Stop pa-" Lightning hesitated and searched her mind's word bank, "Stop patronizing me."

"This is the first time I've heard a kid say that." He laughed, "Seems like your Lieutenant is doing this as a favor to you. Acting like you're acting now, that's no way to thank him."

He was right. Lightning chewed her lip and resignedly glared at her lap again. "I... I'm just worried." She didn't know why she was confiding to him, but somehow she just felt as if she could trust him, "My sister. I have to take care of her."

"Your sister? What about your pare-" He didn't finish before he caught her expression and knew what it meant, "Well, she's safe right? There are people taking care of her. Just leave it to the adults alright?"

Nodding her head stiffly, Lightning took a deep breath and felt a load lift from her shoulders. Watching as the hangar neared, she could already see the many different platoons of soldiers there. The PSICOM, the Guardian Corps... Lifting herself up from her seat, she tentatively walked up to the pilot and looked between Sazh and Amodar, "I'll have to take pictures for Serah won't I?" Lightning laughed softly, "Thank you for this."

"You're welcome." Amodar said standing up from his seat and ruffled Lightning's hair, "Take _a lot_ of pictures for Serah!"

"Yeah!" Lightning grinned, quickly moving to follow Amodar as he talked with the older cadets.

Sazh was right behind her, "Now that's quite a smile." He patted her back, "Suits you quite nicely."

"Alright! Listen up!" Amodar bellowed over them, effectively attracting all attention, "Now, you guys better go out there and show your stuff! All regiments and battalions are going to be here; the Woodlands Observations, Palumpolum, Nautilus, the Homeguard, and even the Wide-Area Response Brigade! We're not gonna show any mercy! Especially not to the PSICOM!" There was a resounding cheer in response to Amodar's enthusiasm. Within the Bodhum Security Regiment, the Lieutenant always held a special place. She respected him greatly, and for all that he had done for her, she knew that there was no proper way to thank his generosity. All she could do was make him proud, and she was determined to do just that.

Even as they disembarked from the transport, their group was the loudest of all. Their talking echoed in the large hangar and soon all the other units had turned their attention to them as well. "As always, you never fail to bring a little flare to this place." An unfamiliar voice called out to them. Amodar turned, giving a lazy salute before each and ever cadet snapped into a form-perfect greeting to the approaching Guardian Corp. "I wonder if it's because you're from the famous_ resort_ city Bodhum."

"Just because my boys and girls know how to have fun, doesn't mean they're lazy push-overs."

"Now, I didn't say that Lieutenant." He chuckled, raising his hands in a mock surrender. Lightning shifted and broke out of position first when Amodar motioned for her. The man, probably slightly younger than Sazh looked down to her and smiled. He had short black hair and onyx eyes, yet despite his smile, she thought of him as neither kind nor genuine. It was a front, unlike Amodar's usual warm grins. "This is... She's awfully... _young_."

"This here, is our up and coming star." Amodar announced proudly before nodding his head at the older cadets, "Of course, after our current stars." Lightning glanced back and she could see that all of them bore a certain glimmer of pride in their eyes at the praise. "Cadet Claire 'Lightning' Farron. She prefers to be called Lightning."

"Hmm..." The man though, gave her a brief glance before looking to the other cadets with greater interest.

"That's Baxter, Ray, and that's-"

The last two boys nudged each other with their elbows, "Thunder, sir!"

"Blitz, sir!" They chimed one after another before flashing Lightning a playful grin.

Amodar's eyes widened before he tossed his head back and laughed, "That's right. Thunder and Blitz. At ease, boys."

All of them relaxed visibly, and the one that called himself Thunder went over and slapped his hand over Lightning's shoulder, "This here, is our mascot."

"Mascot?" Lightning repeated dumbly, looking confusedly between the two boys. One even winked at her.

"Alright, enough of that." Amodar sighed and motioned at the man yet to be introduced, "This here is Brigadier General Cid Raines. I'm sure you've heard of him. Second-in-command of the Wide Area Response Brigade. Now, he's someone you want to know. Steadily climbing the ranks."

"Sir!"

"At ease." Raines said, "Well, you should report your arrival personally. And, there's an actual formal greeting with the PSICOM."

"Of course there is." The lieutenant sucked in a deep breath and held his stomach in, "Might as well get it over with. Ah... well, I guess the boys with have to come with me, but Lightning just... uh... stay with Sazh, hm? I want to test the waters out first, know who I'm going to have to deal with."

"Okay..." Lightning said wearily, but the group had already started leaving. Shifting on her feet, she glanced at Sazh who gave her a small helpless shrug.

"So, this is your first time here?" She nodded and the conversation died. Sazh scratched his head and then motioned for Lightning to follow. They walked through the hallways, past many different kinds of soldiers of different factions and ranks. Lightning ignored most of the curious looks she garnered and followed Sazh diligently to the mess hall.

Across from them was a group of soldiers walking towards them in the opposite direction. "Look there." Sazh mumbled beneath his breath for only Lightning to hear. There was a group of people, PSICOM from the looks of their insignias and uniforms, but in the middle was a silver-haired man with his hair tied up in a short ponytail, and a woman with flowing blonde hair. Lightning glanced up at Sazh, mimicking how he had stepped off to the side to allow the group to pass unhindered.

"The SHINRA representative will be arriving in..." The woman lifted her hand for silence, and it immediately came as beckoned. The blonde PSICOM slowed her steps, her hazel eyes drifting coolly over to Lightning from behind the slim rectangular framed glasses. In an instant, Lightning's mind sparked with recognition: Lieutenant Colonel Jihl Nabaat. Pursing her lips, she held onto her stare, unwilling to cower beneath the scrutiny. The blonde hadn't even stopped to regard Lightning properly as she continued past.

"That," Sazh said, nodding at the backs of the PSICOM soldiers that soon turned the corner, "That was-"

"Lieutenant Colonel Jihl Nabaat." Lightning answered.

"Yep, PSICOM's pride personified." Sazh hummed and wagged his finger at her, "Trust me, you don't wanna get on her bad side. But I'm sure a kid like you won't hold her attention for long, _That_'s a good thing."

She listened to him, and took his words to heart. As Lightning followed Sazh into the mess hall, she absentmindedly picked her meal all the while having her thoughts constantly return to the moment the Lieutenant Colonel had made eye contact with her. The few seconds she spent staring into those eyes had left her speechless. It was confusing, unsettling, yet thrilling at the same time. The food had no flavor as a result, but she still finished her plate. No matter what though, even when Sazh started asking her questions about her schooling, her sister, Amodar, or even when he started talking about his wife and how he wanted his own child, Lightning only gave the bare minimum of answers kept short and concise. It was too late. The hazel-eyed gaze had already burned itself into her mind's eye.

* * *

**Dun, dun, dun... Lightning and Jihl's first (brief) encounter!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 or FF13.**

* * *

She stood in her temporary office assigned to her in Academia for the duration of this trip. Her arms were crossed beneath her bust, her right index finger daintily tapping on her arm in a steady and light beat completely in sync with the ticking of the seconds from a non-existent clock. Her gaze was fixed forward, neither deigning to peer down her nose at the zooming transports and cars below on the air-tracks, nor did she bother looking to the sky as if to revel in nature's beauty or worship any being outside of mankind's grasp. Spirituality was not her forte. She felt nothing other than the dim boredom irking at her mind that has grown far too unaccustomed to the trivial bleakness of such an elementary life. New cadets were none of her concern, the new technologies being showcased were mostly of her product, and so the great Jihl Nabaat feels her own intellect wither and suffer in the presence of those that fail to recognize that this exercise is nothing but a simple waste of energy and resources. At least, for her.

She withdrew from her silent musings upon hearing a soft polite knock on her door, and prepares for whatever formalities that she tolerates. She would entertain whomever, attempt to engage in some form of worthwhile talk, while perfectly illustrating the person's character in her mind for future use. For every task, there's a perfect tool. People are tools, human relationships are tools, all designed to meet desired ends. Emotions, therefore, are the inner workings of said tools, and if used correctly, Jihl Nabaat reasons that she would stand above and beyond the general populace. To put it in more callous and simple terms, skillful manipulation is a strength greater than any weapon.

Whatever thin patience she keeps beneath her facade when dealing with lesser people evaporates the moment Raines walks in. She doesn't share his formal smile and narrows her hazel eyes in annoyance, "You may show yourself to the door." Jihl casually sighed as she waves her hand gracefully towards the entrance Raines had just walked through.

He ignored her giving permission for him to leave, and instead smiles that same masked smile he feeds to the press, "I noticed the_ highly_ reputable Lieutenant Colonel Jihl Nabaat hadn't graced us with her presence in the greetings ceremony."

She hadn't missed his sarcasm, although catches the ironic truth in his words, "So I must suffer your company?"

"I simply came to see how you're settling into your temporary office space. You didn't seem to mind my company when we were younger."

"Of course not." Jihl said, raising her eyebrows to give Raines an expression of utter boredom and disinterest, "Compared to you, I was clearly a better..." she chose her next word carefully, "_investment_."

"And invest the PSICOM did." Raines chuckled void of all amusement; laughing just for the sake of it rather than meaning it.

"You would've done much better with the PSICOM." Jihl comments airily with a dismissive roll of her eyes, "Much more freedom. However, considering your frustratingly idealistic beliefs, perhaps the GC provides a better safety cushion for fragile and naive minds."

"Then I suppose that's why the recent PSICOM enlistment numbers have dropped to a surprising low." Raines responded calmly, but his forced smile had disappeared completely.

Jihl simply shrugged, lifting her shoulders slightly, "The PSICOM has no need for weaklings that need to be fed false propaganda about the realities of world. We have no use for sheltered individuals harboring ridiculous heroic dreams and values."

"_Such_ a crime to dream of a better world." Raines sighed dramatically, pinching the bridge of his nose as if it were the dilemma of the century.

"The law is the law. We are there to enforce it. You may argue morality and preach ethics, but when it matters most, it is action, swift and precise, that must be taken. Of course, I'm not implying that we should act outside of those subjective boundaries set by society... but they are so _horribly_ subjective. When philosophical reasoning impedes action, then the people will suffer." Jihl slipped off her glasses and set them on the table, "We are here to protect the people. You may protect their conscience, but I will be the one to truly protect them in the end. I have no need for cadets who do not understand this, the PSICOM do not want them, and we would not welcome them."

"You are too extreme."

Jihl smiled, lips quirking into a challenging smirk, "You have no personality. No character. I do not need to waste my time mingling with people like you by attending the greetings ceremony. What is there to celebrate? I have yet to see what these new 'promising' cadets are capable of so I can neither judge how impressive or disappointing they are. There is hardly any reason to celebrate for any prospective cadet at this time."

"Only the top cadets have been invited to attend. I'm sure most will not disappoint."

"There is nothing you can say of absolute assurance. What _I_ can say though, with assurance, is that I will be undoubtedly disappointed."

"Perhaps your standards are too high." Raines hummed, "Do you remember Lieutenant Amodar? He's here this year and brought along something special, or so he claims."

"I do not forget." Jihl said tersely, "For a capable man holding such a position for so long is... a sad story. It was impressive that he had been promoted to Lieutenant at such a young age... at a time when you and I were cadets, however, over these twelve years he has remained a Lieutenant. I expected more."

"You are an ambitious woman, and not everyone shares that same ambition. He's satisfied."

Jihl frowned perceptively and crossed her arms again, "You mentioned that he brought along something special?"

A slow taunting smile came to Raines lips, "You might find out if you attend the opening to welcome the cadets."

"Trying to give me an incentive? If this is all you came for, then we have nothing more to talk about."

Raines, however, shook his head and grabbed a seat across the desk from Jihl and motioned for her to sit as well. She didn't, and instead turned her back to him to face the large window she had been staring out at before his arrival. He cleared his throat, signaling that from here on out, it would be business, "I have received news that you have been... dealing with SHINRA lately."

Her finger started tapping against her arm steadily, "Continue."

"Pulse is out of your jurisdiction."

"I fail to see your point. Gaia is not Pulse."

"Do not think that I do not see what you are doing. Geostigma has tore through Paddra and Oerba already. Thousands - _millions_ \- of people of died. The people are scared. We do not need the PSICOM fraternizing with outside parties in such a crucial time!"

"Again, I fail to see your point." Jihl repeated looking out to find the crystallized pillar holding up Cocoon in the distance, "Who the PSICOM deals with has nothing to do with Geostigma. SHINRA is... intriguing. Their SOLDIERs are intriguing, much more interesting than our own forces. However, let's not talk about SHINRA and focus on the real issue at hand. The people of Cocoon have never felt safer. Though I wonder if the people of Pulse feel the same sentiment. You've clearly failed to give them a sense of security in a time of crisis. Geostigma has no known cure as of yet, severely contagious, and highly lethal yet what do you do?" Tossing a look over her shoulder at the frowning man, Jihl scoffed, "What_ can_ you do?"

"You're not suggesting..."

"Eliminate the threat. The people are calling for action." Jihl hummed, "Not your spiels on morality or ethics. When it comes down to it, who do you think a person would save? Themselves and their loved ones, or those already doomed to die of an unnatural," the blonde paused before adding on another descriptive as an after thought, "_unfortunate_, death?"

Apparently he had heard enough. Raines promptly stood up from his chair, "I expect to see you at the opening ceremony for the cadets." He said in rapid fire over his shoulder before leaving her temporary office. Her finger tapped on her arm as she stared at the calm horizon before a feral smirk crept onto her lips. She mused that Raines had always been so obvious when he wanted to know her input on an issue, but had too much pride to ask her directly. It was obvious what he would inevitably do: Go against her.

Her intercom beeped, "Lieutenant Colonel?" A soldier spoke on the other end from the speaker, "Permission?"

"You may speak." Jihl said, but already knowing what was to come.

"The SHINRA representative has arrived."

"Bring him to my temporary office."

"Understood." The intercom then buzzed off. She waited patiently until there was a knock on the door, opening to reveal the red haired man clad in crimson leather.

Greeting him with a small smile, Jihl took a seat and motioned to the chair Raines had been sitting on, "It's good to see you again, Genesis. Please, sit."

...

She bounced lightly on her toes, wide azure blue eyes darting right and left, up and down, and she even ducked and twisted her body slightly as she stood by Amodar's side watching the Baxter and Ray fight below on the Coliseum grounds against another two-persons Guardian Corp team from Palumpolum. Fire burst from Baxter's hand, and Lightning counted down the days of cadet school until she could try using a Mana Drive. Magic was fascinating, strong, the lost art of the fabled L'cies, and she knew right off the bat that she would favor the thunder spells. She couldn't think of anything more fitting for herself.

In her mind's eye, she was the combatant. She took in all of the opponent's moves, came up with plausible counter-attacks until she was certain she could hold her own in a real battle. Even watching Baxter and Ray, she noted how predictable they were slowly becoming. "Well?" Amodar's voice chuckled beside her before a large hand ruffled her head, "Can you see yourself down there?"

Immediately, Lightning's eyes shot up to the Lieutenant, glimmering with hope, "Now?"

"Wha- Hahaha! Of course not! When you're older." The man clarified, "You're way too young for this. You're only here to watch; are we clear on this?"

"As clear as mud." Raines spoke from behind them, drawing both of their attentions. Two GC soldiers stood attentively at his side. He raised an eyebrow at Lightning and gave her a grin, "Right?" She didn't know how to respond, and when Amodar didn't give her any heads up, Lightning snapped into salute and remained tight-lipped. "At ease, cadet. Amodar speaks highly of you. He was one of my teachers back when I was as old as you, so I know how over-protective he can get. If you want to go out onto the Coliseum grounds and test your abilities, you can. You have my word. After all, I am the Brigadier General."

"Hey, hey, hey, pulling ranks on me now?" Amodar laughed, although the worried undercurrent in his tone wasn't missed. "She's too young-"

"Well, if she really is the prodigy that you claim she is, surely a regular PSICOM Pantheron wouldn't be a threat." Raines said, resting a placating hand on the other man's shoulder, "Besides, there's something I need to speak with you about. If the little lady here wants to test her luck in the battles, why not let her? We'll be here if anything goes awry so there isn't a need to worry." He didn't give Amodar or Lightning much of a choice before he shuffled the young girl off along with the other two soldiers. Casting a weary look at Amodar, she waited until she got his affirming nod before she jogged down the stairs and towards the Coliseum grounds entrance.

"Hey, is this even allowed?" One of the soldiers trailing after Lightning murmured. Perhaps it wasn't intended that she would overhear, but it didn't change the fact that she did. Her steps remained even though and she kept her appearance neutral as she eavesdropped in on the conversation. "Only the top cadets and best soldiers are allowed on the grounds. She's just a kid."

"If boss man said so, I guess... They said something about her being some sort of prodigy right?"

"Hell, prodigy or not, it doesn't change anything. She's still a kid. I mean, she's what? _Ten_?"

It took all of Lightning not to whirl around and snap at the two soldiers. She's not a kid. She's not _ten_. She's _thirteen_ for Pete's sake, because in a child's point of view, three years was a long time. "I dunno." The other soldier huffed, "Whatever it is, she shouldn't be going out there. She'll just hurt herself."

"Hey, Brigadier General's orders remember?" The other snorted.

"The PSICOM's not going to like this. They're here to see top notch cadets, not some kid. We're never going to hear the end of it."

She'll show them. She'll show all of them. Lightning's hands closed into tight fists at her side, glaring like a petulant child prepared to throw a tantrum as she marched straight into the Coliseum entrance only to see a few PSICOM, Baxter, Ray, and the other GC cadets they were fighting previously. "Lightning?" Ray saw her first, waving over at her but she merely gave them a curt nod before marching over to the soldier manning the controls.

"A Pantheron." Lightning said firmly to the surprised controller.

He didn't even bother acknowledging her before looking up to glance around the room, "Hey, what's with this kid?"

Baxter and Ray were immediately at her side, "Lightning, what are you-"

"A Pantheron!" She said and nearly stomped her foot, "Brigadier General Raines said I could fight one."

"Look, this is no place for games-"

"It's true." The two soldiers that had been following Lightning spoke up, "That's what the Brigadier General said."

"You've got to be kidding me." Murmurs erupted, but Lightning kept her eyes trained solely on the controller, but eventually he sighed and caved in. "Don't come crying to me when you get hurt."

"Hey, be careful." Baxter breathed, resting a hand on her shoulder as he knelt down so he was at eye level, "Take this." She numbly took the baton he had been using during his battle and weighed it awkwardly in her smaller hands, "If things get rough, don't worry, we'll come dashing in."

The doors opened and just as Lightning was about to walk through, a clear and commanding voice boomed over them, "This is unacceptable. I will not let this_ child_ onto the Coliseum grounds-"

"I'm not a child!" Lightning suddenly exploded, whipping around to do her 'Bodhum Blitz' title justice. She stared up indignantly at the PSICOM man she had just lashed out on and belatedly realized he was that pony-tailed man that she had seen with Lieutenant Colonel Jihl Nabaat. However, she still snapped into a form perfect salute, recognizing that she had clearly spoken out of place yet maintaining that professionalism that Amodar would be proud of. Without bothering to wait for his approval, she spun on her heel again and marched straight out.

The Coliseum was much larger now that she was standing in the middle of it. She almost felt intimidated, and not because of the crowds of PSICOM and Guardian Corps elite soldiers and cadets seated up on the observation decks that were now silent and watching intently. In her mind, she could reason why they would be so furious and see her presence there as some sort of mockery of the supposed skill one was supposed to have before stepping onto the Coliseum grounds. At the same time, she found hated those elitist beliefs. Juggling the baton Baxter had given her, Lightning shifted on her feet and looked out to watch as a four legged beast materialize in front of her. She knew what a Pantheron was; knew that it was one of the weakest foes in any regular training simulator. However, this was her first step, and a step that she was more to willing to take.

...

"Now this is the Coliseum. Only the most skilled soldiers and cadets perform here to display their prowess on the battle field." The guide said as she led the small group of PSICOM soldiers at the one SHINRA representative towards the observation windows. Jihl had thought it necessary to delegate this work to someone else, rather than to waste her breath on such a rudimentary chore. She was a soldier, _not_ a tour guide. "You can see our top cadets this year currently sparring-" the girl stopped abruptly upon seeing the empty grounds where a single child walked out.

"A _child_?" Genesis asked the question that was on everyone's mind.

"Please, excuse me while I get to the root of this... embarrassment." Jihl muttered coldly, staring down her nose at the scene before her. Such a disgrace. Her the heals of her boots clicked on the marble ground, bringing her to the control room in haste, "What is the meaning of this?" She immediately demanded, eyes glowering over every single person there. There were a few GC soldiers and cadets, but she ignored their presence in favor of Yaag, "Tell me why there's a child on the Coliseum grounds."

"B-Brigadier General Raines said- er- gave her permission." One of the Guardian Corps dared to speak up.

"Ridiculous." Jihl snapped, nodding her chin at Yaag before he pushed the controller away from the panel, "This is no place for child's play." His fingers deftly moved over the buttons as all of the Guardian Corps stood rapt with tension and worry. Her hazel eyes drifted up to watch the small back of the pink haired girl and narrowed dangerously, "She needs to be taught a lesson."

* * *

**Originally, I was going to write this a little differently with Jihl playing more of a silent observer role but... this way seems to move the plot forward in a quicker way.  
**

**Pre-teen Lightning desperately wants to prove herself. She's still a child but completely refuses that fact. Now though, she's drawing in all sorts of attention - exactly what Amodar wanted to be careful about. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 or FF13.**

* * *

The white light dissipated around her foe, its claws scratching against the smooth steel surface of the grounds in nerve-wrecking clicks. Lightning had expected a PSICOM pantheron, the red and silver domestic peace keepers, but not a wild Pulse beast. Shooting a glare over her shoulder at the door where she had walked through, a part of her wanted to simply march back and knock in order to rectify this mistake. The low growl the beast emitted from its throat was clear indication that Lightning that her focus should be on the battle, and _not_ on some guy who didn't even know the difference between a pantheron and a gorgonopsid. Taking a deep breath, Lightning lowered herself closer to the ground, almost crouching as she watched the four legged beast slowly tread in circles around her.

It was rounding up its prey, and Lightning internally thanked Serah for making her stay up with her at night to watch those animal documentaries with her, especially during the 'scary' parts and there was no way she was going to be the one of those sitting sheep waiting for the kill. Instead of running away, Lightning darted towards the beast, swiping the baton only for it to be batted away by a claw before the gorgonopsid snapped its jaws at her. It gave her time to pounce away, and she waited fully anticipating its attempt on her life but it merely returned to circling her again. Her mind instantly whirled with countless queries. This was a battle in the highly respected Coliseum, eyes of many powerful and influential people watched the military displays, and it wasn't lost on her that she now stood in the middle. People were watching and judging her every move. All attention was on her, and even though she wasn't an attention seeker, she wanted – no, _needed_ to be acknowledged. She could do this on her own, succeed by herself, because there was no one there for her to rely on. There was no one else for Serah to rely on. She leapt away, rolling back onto her feet when the Gorgonopsid swiped at her tamely. "Tame?" She whispered and the thought struck her.

She was in a box.

A box that was a closely monitored and controlled environment and she knew that this 'control' was also exerted on this animal that she was facing. Nothing was real. Enemies and foes can have their aggression levels set, their computerized life extinguished with just a press of a button and she took slight relief in the thought that no one would want to see a thirteen year-old slaughtered by an animal that had a different set of morals. It didn't matter that this thing _looked_ like one of those blood-thirsty beasts because it wasn't. It was fake, and it bolstered Lightning's adrenalin. She could take it, and she wasn't scared.

…

He swore Lightning would be the death of him. Even with Raines' firm grip on his shoulder to keep him still, Amodar could feel years of his life shave off with every swipe the gorgonopsid took at Lightning. "Amodar, listen to me." Raines sighed, "There are more important things to worry about-"

"Important?" Amodar ventilated, "Yeah, important…" He fidgeted, attempted to shrug off Raines hand before he started pacing back and forth in the small observation deck above the control station. "Right, after I go help-"

"Amodar, she can handle it." Raines said off-handedly as if he hadn't an ounce of concern.

"She's thirteen-"

"And a prodigy remember? You said it yourself." The Brigadier General spared a glance downwards at the battle, "The controller knows what he's doing. It'll be all right. He'll stop the battle before any real harm would come. Maybe she asked for a challenge."

Crossing his arms across his chest, Amodar forced his back to the window and took a deep breath to appear calm. It certainly sounded like something Lightning would do; that foolish reckless girl. Countless times he had told her that there was no point in growing up too fast, but never once had she took his words to heart. "So, what about the PSICOM?"

"I had talked to the Lieutenant Colonel, and I suppose I would like your advice on your stance on the situation in Oerba."

"Jihl had said something about it?" Amodar asked, "What morbid curiosity could she have now? Don't get me wrong, I mean no offence."

"The situation in Oerba is… _delicate_ at best. The death polls are still rising and it's out of control. There's no cure and I'm not sure we can continue supplying relief. Another outbreak and… I don't want to exaggerate reality, but the entire population may be in threat. We've kept the entire city quarantined, _boxed_ in, because it's too dangerous to let them out."

"The entire population? Now that's not what the news were telling people."

"We can't reveal all the details. Oerba is on Pulse, and I'd like to avoid as much public panic as possible. We've tightened security in other villages on Pulse, especially on Academia, and I'm sure the PSICOM have done their part reviewing entries into Cocoon."

"So…"

"Nothing is working and the likelihood of our health and aid workers catching geostigma are increasing as well. With every safety precaution we put in, it's like geostigma adapts to it. It sounds impossible but… it's like it has a mind of its own."

"What do the higher ups say?" Amodar asked, momentarily forgetting the battle in the Coliseum.

"They've…" Raines hesitated, "left it in my hands."

"Huh… saving their own butts. So if anything bad happens, blame it on the new and rising Brigadier General. You're too popular with the people, and they know a threat to their position when they see one. They let you take the fall and blame it on your inexperience." The Lieutenant summed, "That's why there's no way I'm climbing up the ladder."

"Politics come with the job." Raines muttered, "Lieutenant Colonel Nabaat had suggested that I exterminate the threat."

"Exterminate it? You said there's no cure though."

"There _is_ no cure." Raines answered gravely, "Not for those already suffering from it… but there is a cure for those not affected yet."

…

Kill it.

It was like a game. The beast wasn't real, but she was. It wouldn't bleed, but she would. This wasn't like what she had seen in those documentaries where Serah would hide her face in her shoulder and timidly whisper if it was over yet. There would be no blood. Nothing would be dead. No guilt, because Lightning couldn't even fight the pang of pity she felt for the helpless sheep. This was her battle though, not the sheep's. Tightening her grip on the baton, she charged at it, swiping to smack the gorgonopsid in the head before she leapt back and continued his pattern of attack and retreat.

…

Jihl awaited her inevitable disappointment. In Jihl's opinion, it didn't take much to impress her. As one of the PSICOM's most venerated soldiers and officials, most people she came into direct contact would have already obtained some sort of achievement. Of course, whether they deserved it or not was another matter of debate. All one had to do to impress her was to not un-impress her. Although some may argue her point mute, she kindly reserved a place for those individuals alongside the other trivial matters in her life. It was annoying, but not intolerable. It wasn't necessary for anyone to accomplish something she would consider impressive per say, but as long as one maintained a certain level of competence around her, she would admit to be impressed. That goes to say though that she hardly finds herself impressed.

Her initial annoyance at the insult to the unspoken rule of the Coliseum had simmered down. Soldiers of Cocoon and Pulse have always been taught the natural order of society; the strong protect the weak. The weak look to the strong for guidance and protection, while the strong look to the weak for loyalty and influential power. In the end, it all boiled down to allegiances and the most primal concept of the survival of the fittest. Though she kept on eye on the surprisingly resilient cadet, she noted the reactions of those around her as well. Yaag Rosch, a traditionalist and in essence a perfect tool, looked unsurprisingly displeased. It was almost laughable as to how inflexible he was. The GC soldiers were ill at ease, and the older cadets the one currently on display was associated with appeared wrought with tension as they watched. Yet none of them have decided to help her.

Jihl finds herself unimpressed.

In no way had she said that they could not help her, yet they seemed to take her involvement in this as a direct order to resist lending aid to someone clearly weaker than them. Their inaction in itself was a direct failure to abide by the rules of society. To impress her wasn't to abide to her rules as if it were the sanctions of the Gods and Goddesses, but to simply assure her that there were still competent people in this growing pack of herded sheep. She valued earned loyalty, not blind faith, and those she would allow under her would be expected to respect themselves just as much as they would respect her. That was essentially what differentiated people in her mind as actual people to be kept or as mere tools for disposal after use.

Crossing her arms, she allowed her hazel eyes to drift and linger over on the dock holding the mana drives. All accounted for. Her attention was pulled though, when there was a collective gasp from the GC cadets and she noted dully how the Gorgonopsid had head-butted the young girl. She expected crying. She expected the girl to turn around and run back to the doors pounding and pleading. Children had no place here, and especially not on Coliseum grounds. Perhaps this may act as a reprimand for Raines and his flippant behavior. It was a boring battle, like watching weeds sprout on a lawn. These mindless cadets were all weeds sprouting in her vision, and she imagined herself plucking them away like what she had done during these previous exercises. The girl on the battlefield was clearly inexperienced, and Jihl counted the seconds until the gorgonopsid would grow tired of playing with its prey. She had designed these foes herself, carefully making sure that these enemies would replicate their real counterparts.

"Watch out!" One of the GC cadets yelled, his face pressed against the windows.

Jihl narrowed her eyes, watching as the gorgonopsid's jaws narrowly missed the girl's neck and noticed the growing protest of those observing the Coliseum grounds. "Should we stop-" Yaag started, but Jihl merely lifted her hand up for his silence and shook her head without looking away from the girl. Curious. She wondered how stubborn the girl was; it was a fine quality to have, but whatever redeeming quality that this girl had promised to show was immediately snuffed when she saw her sprinting straight towards where they were with the gorgonopsid hot on her tail. She was going to give up.

…

Her blood was pounding in her ears, hands sweaty, and Lightning just knew that she was playing this wrong. Maybe they had suddenly cranked up the difficulty level, but the aggression obvious now. Her feet pumped as fast as they could, bringing her darting back towards the door. They wouldn't let her die here… would they? No. Serah was waiting. She can't fail Serah, not now, not ever. She looked over her shoulder before lurching towards the ground right before the gorgonopsid dove for her. The beast skimmed over her head, skidding on the ground before it spun and darted after her again. With hardly any time to scramble onto her feet, Lightning bolted straight towards the beast, slamming the edge of her baton against its neck as it attempted to turn its head towards her. She continued her mad break away to the doors, but abruptly spun right before she had reached it to see the gorgonopsid leapt at her. Her vision whipped as she dodged to the right, hearing the beast crash into the doors with a sickening crunch and spun to slam her baton down on its skull.

"Damn it!" Lightning hissed, watching it recover way too quickly.

"Lightning!" She had heard the muffled cries from the other end of the window, drawing her attention to see Baxter and Ray panic and yell.

She knew she had messed up. The beast crashed into her, dragging her into the ground. Twisting around, Lightning could barely jam the baton in its jaws to keep it at bay. It threw its head back roughly, tearing the only form of defense she had from her hands and flinging it to the ground. Her heart stopped. _Serah_. Clamping her eyes shut, she haphazardly threw her hands out.

…

"That's enough!" Jihl yelled, twisting her eyes from what she believed to be the girl's last moments to the controller, "Stop the battle now!" He seemed terrified. Eyes wide with horror and frozen. This was exactly why they needed calm soldiers to regulate the battles. "Yaag!" The other PSICOM seemingly snapped out of his trance before he rushed to the controls, shoving the incompetent GC out of the way. She caught the flash in the corner of her eye, a sharp blue lit up all dark corners in the blinding colorless light. The sound of thundered roared, making the door where the girl was just outside shudder. The loud menacing cackle of electricity erupted, and tore against the barriers erected around the Coliseum to protect the seated audience. Silence settled, and the door swooshed open as the GC cadets staggered out to the girl who looked dazed as she half sat there on the ground. Glancing back to the mana drives again, Jihl spun on her heels and left without another word. For once in her life, Jihl felt her heart beat a little faster and it brought a genuine smile to her lips. Things suddenly got interesting.

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**It feels as if I haven't updated in a while... Sorry for the late updates. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 or FF13.**

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Everything was still much a blur to her. Her blood was still drilling in her ear drums until only a high pitched screech rang sharply in her ear, and she wanted to hurl. A few faces passed through her line of vision, and like a doll, she allowed hands to pull her up on her feet until she was enveloped in hugs. "It's okay." She listened to Baxter's whisper as it filtered through the white noise. "It's okay." Her senses slowly flowed back, the adrenalin that had kept Lightning on the tips of her toes receded and left her a wobbly mess. Her legs crashed beneath her, and the boys allowed her to sit on the ground before they knelt beside her. She could still see the wild jaws thrashing, the gorgonopsid relentlessly attacking and attempting to end the battle by going for her jugular. Lightning shivered, clamping her eyes shut as she tried to force the memory out of her mind. "Ray, go get Lieutenant Amodar. Now." Baxter ordered as he rested a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"R-Right." Staggering past through the door again, Ray left.

"Hey Light?" He whispered, nudging the girl slightly, "The gorgonopsid's gone. You… You did good."

Sinking further into the ground, she could feel her fingers twitch as she sought out the baton lying on the ground a short distance away, "What happened?"

"Well…" Baxter hesitated, "Don't know. I was kind of… caught up as well, but I think I heard Lieutenant Colonel Nabaat order to stop the fight. So maybe… it was just the system? I mean, it couldn't be…"

"Couldn't be?" Lightning murmured, raising an eyebrow, "Couldn't be what?"

The older boy scratched the back of his neck and sighed deeply, "Nah, no way. You didn't have a mana drive. It's nothing. Don't worry about it. You don't remember?"

Lightning scowled as she levied herself up onto her feet again. "I-I closed my eyes." She could feel her cheeks flush in embarrassment. Huffing at the smirk the boy was giving her, she crossed her arms petulantly as he ushered off the Coliseum grounds. "I thought…" She continued in a quieter voice, "I thought I was a goner for sure."

"Hey, you're okay now." He chuckled softly, playfully tousling Lightning's hair to earn a glare from her before she slapped his hand away. "Although… I can't say you'll survive Lieutenant Amodar. You know how protective he is over you – over all of us… but especially over you."

He was right. She was never going to hear the end of it and she wouldn't be surprised if she would find herself wrapped in bubble wrap at the end of the day. "What should I do?"

"I guess," he looked around the control room and quickly leaned down to level with her ear when they both saw a ranked PSICOM briskly walk up to her, "just blame it on the PSICOM." Quickly snapping back up and into a prim salute, Lightning took the cue from Baxter and mirrored his actions. "Major Rosch! Sir!"

He curtly nodded, but never strayed his eyes from Lightning. "You are well?"

"Yes Sir!"

"Good." Clasping his hands behind his back, Major Rosch turned his back to the cadets, "Impressive." He left the door to close behind him before a wide grin spread across Baxter's lips.

"Did you hear that?!" He exclaimed, ruffling Lightning's hair again, "Look at you, already makin' a name for yourself."

"S-Stop it!" Lightning protested as she squirmed away from him, but their short celebration came to an abrupt end when the doors the Major had left through opened again and in stalked a red-faced Amodar with Ray stumbling after him. The young girl froze, and never in the three years she had known Amodar had she ever seen him so mad.

"Gentlemen, please leave the room." Amodar ordered brusquely, a tone starkly different from his usual cheer.  
Baxter exchanged looks with Ray, catching the latter trying to sneak a furtive shake of his head, "L-Lieutenant, it wasn't Lightning's fault and-"

"I said leave. That's an order." Biting his lip, he gave Lightning a worried look and much to her dread, left the room. The controller was just about to leave as well, but Amodar held up a hand, "I want to speak with you." The Lieutenant turned, huffing out his chest as he held his hands behind his back, "I want you to tell me exactly _what_ you were thinking when you allowed a gorgonopsid on the Coliseum grounds, against a _thirteen_ year-old."

Lightning winced at the panicked look the man had given her. "Sir – Lieutenant – I didn't, I wasn't-"

"Remind me again who the designated controller is." Amodar interrupted.

"Lieutenant, it wasn't his fault-" Lightning started.

"Silence Lightning!" The girl flinched at the harsh tone, a loud lashing concealed as an aggressive hiss. "I've heard from Ray about what happened."

"I didn't want to." The soldier started to defend himself hastily, "They gave me orders. Lieutenant Colonel Nabaat and Major Rosch-"

"Remind me again _who_ the designated controller is."

Silence. Lightning watched helplessly as the man's mouth floundered without a single sound escaping. She thought she knew Amodar. He was kind and gentle, a big oaf sometimes, but this was a side she couldn't imagine. Forcing her eyes onto the ground, she could feel them start to sting as they watered and she didn't know why. "I-I am." The soldier finally stammered.

"Exactly. Not Lieutenant Colonel Nabaat, not Major Rosch. The participants of this Coliseum entrust _you_ with their life, hoping that you should _at least_ know what would be the best for them. What were you doing when this child nearly had her throat ripped to shreds?!" Amodar's voiced raised exponentially, booming in the empty room, "There's no room for panic!"

"I was under order-"

"If I ordered you to put a helpless infant out there with a bloodthirsty gorgonopsid would you do it?" Amodar snapped before he motioned to Lightning, "What makes her so different? She's an inexperienced cadet! You may as well had put a civilian out there-"

"Lieutenant Amodar, that is enough." A deep voice penetrated the thick tension. Lightning's head snapped up, eyes wide as Brigadier General Raines interrupted them. "This situation has been entirely my fault and I take full responsibility. I've talked to Major Rosch and heard their side of the story as well. He's right. I should never had suggested that she could go out onto the Coliseum." He dismissed the soldier, letting him flee the scene leaving Lightning with the two once again. "You're letting your anger get to you."

"My anger?!" Whipping around, the look on Amodar's face was enough to make Lightning shirk back and it seemed that it was enough to draw his attention. Whatever it was though, it made him realize exactly how furious he had been with everyone. Drawing in a deep breath, he pinched the bridge of his nose before he exhaled heavily and allowed his shoulders to slump. "You're right… my apologies." Dropping down to his knees in front of Lightning, Amodar put on his famous fatherly smile again although it didn't reach as high as what Lightning was used to, nor did his eyes crinkle in fondness. He almost looked sad. "Did I… scare you?" Pursing her lips, Lightning tentatively shook her head and forced herself to take a step closer to him. His hand went and rested on the crown of her head, and she didn't push it away like all the other times she had. Instead she only ducked her chin and stared at her toes.

"I-I'm sorry." Lightning said meekly, finally allowing herself go. Everything rushed back to her like a tidal wave, leaving her exhausted. Her legs were tired, her arms had gone jelly, but more than anything, she felt ashamed.

"Hey," he tucked his finger underneath her chin and tilted her head up as he had all those years ago, "I'm just glad you're safe now, but that doesn't mean you're not in trouble. No more fights for you, and you're not to leave my side alright?"

"I asked for a Pantheron but – but – I don't know…"

"I know." Amodar murmured underneath his breath, but before Lightning could ask, he swiftly drew her in for a hug, "You must have been scared. You sure have some serious guts." She nodded into his shoulder, clutching the rough fabric of his uniform. It wasn't long before Amodar let go, "So why don't we get something to eat? Something special. Your choice."

"The mess hall is fine-"

"Nonsense!" Amodar boomed as he stood up onto his feet again, "Now I can say that _my_ thirteen year old cadet took down a gorgonopsid herself! You ought to be proud of yourself - and ashamed!" He added, wagging a playful finger at her, "I'm still mad at you for doing something so reckless!"

Lightning's mood brightened like a light bulb and she couldn't fight the grin spreading across her face. This is the Amodar she knew. "We can go with everyone else."

"Alright, go get'em." With a chuckle, he slapped Lightning's back to push her forward. Amodar kept up his smile until the young girl had disappeared past the door before his expression morphed and twisted into solemnity. "That girl is going to be the death of me."

"She's... a strong girl." Raines commented, casting a look towards Amodar from the corner of his eyes.

"Sometimes too strong." Amodar sighed, "She's trying to grow up too fast for her own good. I've seen cadets like her, not a lot, but they exist. Too... by the book. Too proud to know when to stop. I'm worried about her."

"If she's already like that now, then you have to be careful. She's thirteen; a delicate age and she'll only get stronger as she grows older."

"Bringing her here was a mistake." Amodar admitted, "She's always been eager, but she seemed to have gotten worse since getting here. Of course though, what should I have expected? I wanted to give her a glimpse but during the only time I couldn't keep my eyes on her, she dives head first into this - _all_ of this."

The Brigadier General shifted, raising a questioning eyebrow at the Lieutenant, "This is... unlike you. I know you've always been respected by the cadets under your care, even popular amongst the others. You've done this for a long time, seen both Lieutenant Colonel Nabaat and myself through that stage of our lives, but this is the first time I've heard of you becoming so _invested_ in a particular cadet."

Amodar snorted and replied wryly, "Think I'm playing favorites?"

"No, but-"

"I watched Lightning over these few years and she hasn't grown up at all. She's just running in circles. Around, and around, and around like a hamster on a wheel. She's too desperate, as if she has to prove a million things to the world. So maybe I am playing favorites-"

"You shouldn't."

"I know, I know." Shoving his hands into his pockets, Amodar stalked towards the doors, "Oh hey, could you send that poor controller to me later when I get back? I should apologize to him. No one wants to be collateral damage of a angry man furious with their reckless child." Amodar chuckled, shaking his head self-deprecatingly, "What am I going to do with her?" He didn't give Raines an opportunity to answer him and left the room. He didn't have to go far to see Lightning and the other cadets standing there talking and laughing. It was surprising how easily Lightning could get along with the older boys when she could hardly tolerate kids her own age, and for once it finally looked as if she had found friends.

"So? What do you guys and gal," Amodar winked at Lightning who rolled her eyes in response, "want to eat? There was a cacophony of responses, leaving the Lieutenant laughing genuinely this time, "Alright, alright, spend my gil to your heart's content." The group migrated out of the building, the boys forming their own circle up ahead yet Lightning lingered at Amodar's side. "They're going to leave you behind."

"It's fine." Lightning mumbled. He didn't bother hiding the wide grin he had as he watched various looks of awe and wonder flash through her expression the deeper they explored Academia. She had probably never seen a city so extravagant because Bodhum was modest at best. "I wish Serah was here." With a deep hum, Amodar ruffled her hair but for the first time, the girl hadn't squirmed or swatted his hand away.

...

Raines had the expectation of seeing the other Guardian Corps officials at his office armed with arguments or reprimands about his conduct in allowing a child onto the Coliseum floors. Just as he had anticipated, there were those people and he bore through their words, but what had caught his attention was that Lightning had used a mana drive. Magic, they had claimed, a thundaga of terrible power, they exaggerated, and they seemed all the more appalled that she had been allowed to play with such a dangerous weapon.

He had merely intended to brush their comments aside, but a part of him noticed the error of events. Yaag Rosh had been there, and he knew the other man well enough to know that there was no way he would let a child get their hands on a mana drive, let alone one able to conjure a thundaga. Reaching towards his phone, he pressed the intercom button to get through to his receptionist, "Please find the controller who was present at the Coliseum today. I wish to speak with him. Thank you."

"Understood Brigadier General."

He released his finger, and rested back against his chair with his eyes closed. There was no doubt that Lightning was a strong child, both in mind and body. Although he hadn't paid any attention to her at the beginning, reasoning that all of this prodigious hype was just a product of Amodar's eccentricity, Raines admitted now that she held some talent. She had the bravery and endurance to stand up against a gorgonopsid which many trained soldiers had difficulties dealing with. It wasn't long before the door to his office slipped open and the soldier who had suffered Amodar's lashing stepped in looking ill. "At ease." Raines breathed, "Don't worry. I'd like to ask a question. That's all." He nodded, "Do you know if Lightning, that cadet from the Coliseum today, had used a mana drive?"

"No..."

"Some claim she had used magic. Neither Lieutenant Amodar nor I were entirely present during the battle, so I'd like to know if she had used a mana drive."

The soldier hesitated, but still shook his head, "If she was, she wasn't using those present at the Coliseum."

"She used magic. Are you absolutely sure?"

"Yes. I was called to my post shortly after you and the Lieutenant had left because Lieutenant Colonel Nabaat had-"

"Nabaat?" Raines muttered, narrowing his eyes. He sat up taller in his seat and leant forward, "What did she want?"

"The computer was locked and I still had the pass key to access the system. She wanted the video recording of the battle." He explained, "She kept watching the last few seconds of the battle before she asked for a copy of it. It... _looked_ like magic."

He remained silent, staring at the man as if he suddenly had all the answers as to what had interested Nabaat so much. That woman was as hard to read as a blank slate and only when he could see the dangerous gleam in her hazel eyes at the last possibile minute would he know that he was too late. Had she heard of Amodar's claims about a prodigy as hearsay and took it to heart? No. That woman didn't function on hearsay yet she was always a step ahead of him. "I'd like a copy of the video as well." Raines said slowly, raising an eyebrow at how the other fought to fidget where he stood. "Dismissed. Oh, and the Lieutenant would like to speak with you after he returns. I believe he wishes to apologize for his irate behavior earier."

"Y-Yes sir!" Raines rose from his seat as the man left, moving to linger at the edge of his desk. It wasn't long until a notification rang through his computer. He opened the video and watched closely, trying to see what seemed to have piqued Nabaat's curiosity. Was it the child's use of magic? He knew for a fact that humans were not born with the natural skill to use magic. Those born on Pulse and Cocoon needed mana drives, those from Gaia needed materia. The only exceptions he knew about were the l'cies, but even so, their existence have long faded in history. It was unheard of that someone would be able to conjure up spells naturally, but he kept the benefit of the doubt. He knew he needed to know if Lightning had truly used magic without a mana drive, and if that were true, then Raines surmised that he would have bad news for Amodar. His child's impromptu display on the Coliseum grounds may have drawn the untouchable Jihl Nabaat's attention.

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**Okay, I admit it, I've hit some sort of block. I just can't seem to write and when I do it just... looks weird. I dunno... D:**

**Anyways, these few chapters have purely been dedicated to flushing out Amodar as your typical supportive, cheery, and over-protective father figure to Lightning. In a way he's meant to mirror Jihl who, for the majority who have read Fictus Memoriae (FM) will know, later serves as a "motherly" figure in some... twisted way. The two are complete opposites but both play pivotal roles in young Lightning's life. **

**I'm drawing this arc to a swift end, probably within the next one or two chapters and will bring it back to the 'present' time with GC Lightning and Tifa in chapter 1. This will be a common thing with all the arcs and I'll try to keep it as consistent as possible. The first chapter of each arc will introduce some period during FM, the rest of the arc will explore Lightning's past, and what is told would be what Lightning uses to draw some of her conclusions and interpretations about what she thinks she feels in FM. **

**Sorry for the long author's note. Thanks for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 or FF13.**

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After that day on the battle grounds with the gorgonopsid, everything that happened seemed drab, although Lightning wasn't going to say it out-loud. True to Amodar's word, her punishment was to follow him around for the rest of the trip in Academia where he kept a strict eye on her and on the people who approached her. She had listened to them complain about her participation, go on and on about how inappropriate it was and, for some reason or another, all of them kept insisting that she had used a mana drive. A child; child this, child that, she is too young, too inexperienced, incompetent. It was like these people thought she couldn't understand what they were saying because she was a child, or maybe they had purposefully said it in front of her face as if to make her feel unqualified or inadequate. Lightning bore it, and so did Amodar.

The large man would simply chuckle and laugh it off while Lightning wanted to stomp on their foot and spit, 'get over it' at their faces. One morning though, a loud knock pounded on her door. Amodar stood at the other end with a smile, "Just a sec!" Lightning said, moving to dart back into her room to gather her wallet even though Amodar insisted on paying for everything and anything she needed or wanted, "I'm going to-"

"It's alright Light." Amodar said, grinning a grin that wasn't quite a grin. Something was off. "There's a meeting today I have to go to. Why don't you stay in your room? The boys are off busy training so no one will be here to keep an eye on you."

"Oh... I can't come with you?"

Amodar hummed, "Nope. Not this time kiddo."

She knew then, that this meeting had something to do with her. Was Amodar going to get into trouble? Lightning bit her lip and nodded stiffly, "I'll... wait here then."

"Good girl." He ruffled her hair again, "We'll go out for lunch later."

"O-okay."

She gently closed the door after him and all the sudden, the room sounded quieter, her chest felt heavier, and it was harder to breathe. If something happens to Amodar, then it would be her fault. Stomping back to her bed, Lightning sat dejectedly at the corner and glared at her small hands. There was nothing she could do, and even if she were to say something, everyone would just ignore her. She would show them though. Her hands drew into tight fists. She would show all of them and make Amodar proud. She'll become the best soldier that the Guardian Corps have seen.

...

Jihl mused she wasn't a morning person, nor was she one to partake it pointless arguments should it lower her IQ. Now, this was the first meeting of higher officials after the incident at the Coliseum where a child had almost died and Jihl knew she wanted to be present after hearing that they had summoned Lieutenant Amodar. Normally, she would skip these meetings, choosing to spend her precious time on more valuable things, but a topic of great interest was to be inevitably discussed.

She kept her facade of appearing interested, but every single time she would catch Raines' stare, she gave him a small secretive smirk. He didn't look amused, so she reasoned he knew why she was there. There was a rap on the door, drawing Raines' attention away but she already knew who it was. She didn't bother looking to Amodar as he walked in and instead chose to stare at the water she was swirling in her glass cup. Rather than listening to the others explain to Amodar why he was here, which she was sure Amodar already knew, Jihl started reviewing the facts and details of a certain cadet at the crux of this. By now she knew everything there was to know about her, just as she was certain that the girl had some strange inherent ability to cast spells without a mana drive. In fact, she would very much like to study her.

Taking a sip from her glass to wet her lips, Jihl cocked an eyebrow at how animated the other officials have become, muttering some pointless points about tradition, expectations, and what not; all of which are easily over turned. Within her first year in the PSICOM, Jihl realized that the two military factions were hardly segregated by ideals. In fact, they were the same but the methodology employed to achieve those ideals were different. PSICOM consisted of extremists, for better or for worse, of both ends. There were the traditionalists and the progressivists which Jihl considers herself the latter. While the Guardian Corps consisted of moderates, less inclined to do anything above necessary, choosing to air in the middle for safety.

However, here they all were, sitting here berating a man for doing what every living person is guilty of. It amused her to hear how these hypocrites have exaggerated the story, condemning him of misconduct, when in reality Jihl viewed this as an opportunity for those in power to show that they were in power. Even the great Lieutenant Amodar, power soldier in the past, beloved tutor to the cadets, can and _will_ be taken down a notch. Politics, politics, politics, and for Amodar who wouldn't know how to play fire with fire... well... there's a reason why he has remained as a Lieutenant for nearly a decade without any form of progress up the ranks even if he had more than enough credentials.

Taking another long sip from her glass of lemon water, Jihl peered at Raines' wondering if that man would step in and take responsibility for his own words, and although he looked as if he blatantly disagreed with what the other upper officials were saying, he kept silent. A typical GC trait; to play it safe. Within the GC, there were the true moderates, but amongst them were the cowards who were too afraid to stand for what they believed in. "Favouritism." Jihl noted one official saying, and then the other, "Conflict of interest."

"Lieutenant Colonel? What do you think?" Jihl blinked slowly, turning a small reserved smile to the PSICOM Colonel who sat beside her. He too was a traditionalist like Yaag Rosch, and it didn't take a genius like her to figure out who he preferred. There have been rumors about that Yaag was in for a promotion to be Lieutenant Colonel soon. "Since you've decided to grace us with your presence this time around." He added and that made Jihl smile even wider.

"Gentlemen," Jihl started, nearly purred, "let's not pretend we're not human." Carefully placing the glass down with the most minute crystal clang against the surface, Jihl leaned back and idly brushed her uniform to clean it from some imaginary lint, "I believe I stand with Brigadier General Raines on this." She said, smirking at the masked look of incredulity she received from the said man, "I would hardly consider this to be... a case of misconduct. Far too severe for my tastes." The blonde shot a look at the frowning Colonel, "Before we let our skepticism wrongly punish a man, who we all know, has done nothing but good for the Guardian Corps name and had always acted on the best interest of cadets, I understand that he had broken tradition. Now, I also understand that it was Brigadier General Raines who had allowed the girl onto the Coliseum grounds as well, and, considering how we all _seem_ to intimately know the situation at hand, I would like to think that we were all present at the event. Unless, of course, we've now decided that it is proper to condemn a man based purely on hearsay. I admit, Major Rosch and I were present. Now, could I get a show of hands as to who else?"

More than half of the people seated at the table raised their hands, and Jihl could already taste victory. "What is your point?" The Colonel demanded, if not a little impatiently.

"Now I admit that I had felt insulted at first when I saw the girl on Coliseum grounds, after all, that is a place for our best and our brightest. She's only thirteen, still five years away from obtaining that privilege, but even so, it's not to say that she would have the required skills and talent in participating in the future." Jihl paused, drawing her eyes towards Amodar and held his weary stare, "I stand corrected though."

Everyone in the room shifted, but Raines remained completely stiff like a statue, "And?" Raines said lowly, "What makes you say that?"

"I believe a man as careful as you are would not carelessly break such... highly regarded traditions." Jihl hummed, "Surely, you saw the latent talent the girl has?" He knew. Jihl smiled and chuckled, "That thundaga she procured was incredible."

"That's an unauthorized use of a mana drive." Another official argued, "Anyone with a mana drive would be able to do that."

"Yes, I am the one who designed them." Jihl stated offhandedly, "I believe we are getting off topic here but I feel I should address the fact that she was not using a mana drive at that time, at least, not one supplied by the Coliseum. Therefore, your argument for unauthorized use is completely mute. Cadets under Lieutenant Amodar's tutelage are also under his direct jurisdiction. Therefore their education is also up to him. For her to use a mana drive authorized by him is different from her using a mana drive authorized by the Coliseum."

"That is still dangerous-"

"Lieutenant Amodar." Jihl called out over the other man, "This child, her name?"

Amodar shifted and replied with a grunt, "Lightning."

"Now, tell me, why did you choose to bring Lightning here?"

"She's... skilled."

"Care to elaborate?"

Taking a deep breath, Amodar straightened his back and looked at all the officials one by one with a new fire burning in his eyes, "One of the brightest I have seen in my time. At thirteen years of age, she has already mastered both the gun and the blade. She has never once missed the target, never once fumbled, and never feared. I believed that this opportunity would be the perfect chance for her to see the world, and know exactly what she's getting herself into so she could be better prepared."

Jihl nodded, "Can you tell me what had ensued before the battle?"

"I was discussing the issues regarding Geostigma with Brigadier General Raines."

"Now is that true?" Jihl asked, raising an eyebrow at Raines.

"It is," he confirmed, "that was also when I told Lightning she could participate."

Jihl crossed her arms, rapidly growing bored of her assured victory, "I wouldn't consider this misconduct but merely negligence, but even so, hardly severe enough to warrant any form of punishment. Seeing that Lightning had willingly walked onto the battle field, she would expect to find danger. Now you believe that the mana drive posed a danger to her? Hardly; not anymore than giving her a blade and gun that Lieutenant Amodar had already told us that she has mastered, and not allowing her to use the mana drive which she may have already trained with previously would leave her at a disadvantage."

"She's only thirteen." The Colonel stated.

"Thirteen and already shooting a bulls-eye with every bullet she has shot?" Jihl questioned, "She's not a child, not anymore than a gorgonopsid. She defeated it with a mana drive, although I firmly believe that if we had given her a blade rather than a baton, she wouldn't have needed to rely on magic."

"She was supposed to fight a Pantheron." Raines interrupted, "However, I assume some technical issue had-"

"No." Jihl shrugged slightly, "No technical issue. In fact, I was the one who believed punishment was in order when I first saw her, and it was Major Rosch who had chosen the gorgonopsid as her foe." Talk immediately erupted, but Jihl continued and soon all chatter died down again, "I am guilty, however, we stood by the controls and we were fully prepared to end the battle when it was necessary."

"You didn't stop the fight when the gorgonosid had her pinned?"

"She killed it before we could," Jihl answered unwaveringly.

"Major Rosch even praised her." Raines added, "I spoke with him immediately afterwards."

"We've already established where Rosch and I were at the time, and we know that Lieutenant Amodar and Brigadier General Raines weren't present as they were discussing matters pertaining to the serious situation in Oerba, which may I add, is by far more productive than anything we're to do here. I'd like to ask where all those other officials who had indicated that they were present were." Jihl cast another glance around the table where none seemed willing to answer her, "In the stands? How hard would it have been to leave your seat and walk down to the control room if you had felt so strongly about this? Brigadier General Raines is guilty of negligence, Major Rosch and I are responsible for allowing a gorgonopsid onto the battle field, however all the officials who had kept to their seat are guilty for their inaction. That is simply another form of negligence. Yet here we are, trying to condemn a man who has done nothing wrong of misconduct. Is that not something we are guilty of then if we are to punish him?"

"I fully agree with Lieutenant Colonel Nabaat." Raines added with finality.

"I believe it would be better to remove... _Lightning_ from Lieutenant Amodar's care." The Colonel huffed.

Jihl rose from her seat, much to the surprise of everyone and moved to stand by the window, "Why?" It was a simple question, but the Colonel spluttered at having his opinion so blatantly questioned. Well, Jihl mused, perhaps she is guilty of insubordination too but he did ask for her opinion. It didn't matter though. It was only a matter of time before she had his position.

"This is a clear example of conflict of interest. The cadet is still young, far too young to show enough promise."

"Now that's just your opinion isn't it?" Jihl asked, "Where are your facts? Her age isn't a proper determinant of what she's capable of. We never expected her to defeat a gorgonopsid, yet she did. Lieutenant Amodar, at the time, was the youngest promoted to Lieutenant. Brigadier General Raines and I are the youngest of our rank."

"You're telling me that only seeing her fight for a few minutes-"

She smiled again, not outright interrupting him, but the Colonel stopped talking all the same. "I can guarantee that she is special. Possesses more potential than all of these qualified older cadets. Your arguments for favoritism? Conflict of interest? Then explain why we're here. This exercise, this show to display all of our finest cadets, would therefore be monuments of favoritism and conflicts of interest."

"That is different."

"How so? Because all the other cadets here have earned it? That they've worked hard for this and just because Lightning is the Lieutenant's favorite, she's not welcome here? Now how do we know she hasn't earned this? Oh, your argument was her age. She's too young. She's just a child." Jihl continued, "Let's look at the graduating cadets who didn't qualify to participate here, and pit them against a gorgonopsid. I surmise they would not fare too well, let alone defeat it. Lightning is young, but she is already above average of those not even in her age group. Isn't that exactly what this exercise is about? Special recognition for those above average? She is already an exception. When you award those who haven't earned it, _that_ is favoritism."

"I see where the Lieutenant Colonel is going with this." Raines spoke up, relieving Jihl of explaining the obvious to the oblivious, "A business would treat the best employee, a school would give scholarships to the best students, just as how the military would show off their best cadets, and we give out awards for those who deserve it. Lightning is here by her own skill, and a talent in which Lieutenant Amodar has recognized."

Releasing a deep breath, the Colonel looked to Amodar, "How are her studies?"

"Exceptional." Amodar answered immediately, "I proposed bringing Lightning here to the other instructors and they all unanimously agreed."

"Very well. I'm willing to drop this entire situation all together. Those in favor?" Jihl didn't need to look back, nor did she need to raise her hand because everyone in the room clearly knew where she stood on the matter. "Meeting dismissed."

The rustle and bustle soon died down, but Jihl dind't move to leave from the room. She knew that when she turned from the window, she would see Raines and Amodar standing there. "Gentlemen." Jihl greeted, crossing her arms loosely around her hips.

"Thank you." Amodar spoke first bowing his head slightly, "I didn't expect you to be present, and I didn't expect you to side with us."

"It's only natural to show favoritism." Jihl said, "That is life. It's all about the people you know, the connections you have. For leaders, it is those who follow you who matter. For the followers, their leaders are who matter. It is all about who you impress. That girl is special. Intriguing."

She could see Amodar's jaw tense significantly, "She... is."

"Speaking of connections," Raines said, "it didn't seem like the Colonel was too pleased with you."

"Not my concern." Jihl brushed off and weaved a hand through her long blonde hair, "It's only a matter of time before I overtake him."

Raines quirked an eyebrow, "Insubordination?"

She chuckled, allowing a deep and rich laugh to bubble from her throat, "Colonel Nabaat. I like the sound of that. What transpired here was purely some petty power play; a chance for those higher officials to punish what those who follow them thought as unfair and earn their respect. I like to avoid dealing with little people. The world is unfair, and that's why you make sure you're on the winning side. Now I just believe I came out as victor, once again proving that I am right and so power falls to me." Jihl paused and gave them a dangerous smirk, "I always get what I want." She left them to digest those words and her clicking heels brought her to the door as she left.

Amodar nearly snapped from the tension, pulling himself to a chair before plopping himself down, "Should I be worried?" He muttered, laughing humorlessly.

"At least they won't reassign Lightning to another supervisor." Raines offered.

"Yeah, I thankful for that or else Lightning and Serah would kill me."

"Serah?"

"Lightning's younger sister." Amodar explained, "Means the world to her. Lightning actually didn't want to come at first because she wanted to take care of Serah, but... we persuaded her."

"It's a good thing you didn't say that earlier." Raines huffed, grabbing a seat beside him, "You're definitely showing a conflict of interest if you're getting involved with her personal life."

"Those girls are orphans. I met them before Lightning entered cadet school. I offered her a place because that girl was desperate to do everything for her sister. I mean, it's better if she's somewhere I can keep an eye on her before she does something she would regret."

"But you're regretting now?"

Heaving a breath, Amodar massaged his temples, "I regret bringing her here. That's all. Not because of what she has achieved but... because of what she has done."

"The Lieutenant Colonel?" Raines guessed.

"I told her to stay quiet, to... y'know, keep in the shadows because I didn't want her to pull attention to herself. Raines, she's a military prodigy. You know what they do to military prodigies. They'll probably ship her away to some special training camp. I can't let them take Lightning away from Serah and I was _this_ close to having her taken away. If it weren't for Nabaat -" Amodar sighed again, "Why couldn't Nabaat be the one screaming about how she's a child and how she doesn't belong here? I mean, I'm grateful that she stepped in but-"

"She has Jihl's attention, and we all know what happens when Jihl has her attention on something and in this case, someone."

"She always gets what she wants."

"Amodar," Raines started, "There's something I need to tell you, and I think this is exactly why the Lieutenant Colonel has set her sights on Lightning. It's about the magic."

"You mean the mana drive?" Amodar asked, "I don't even know where she got it from. I never taught her how to use it and whenever I ask, she says she doesn't remember what happened."

"I have the video recording of it, and the only reason I have it was because I found out that Jihl had asked for it. I think... that Jihl thinks that Lightning used magic without a mana drive."

"With-_without_? Like what? Like a l'cie?"

"I think so."

"Nope." Amodar shook his head, "Impossible. L'cie have those tattoos right?"

"Brands." Raines corrected.

"Yeah, brands. Lightning doesn't have those. You know how strict cadet school is about tattoos and stuff like that. She would've been reported immediately during those annual health checks. Jihl's wrong."

"Maybe she is."

Shaking his head, Amodar rose from his seat and headed to the door, "This is ridiculous. I've had enough of office politics and Fal'cie smokes and mirrors. It's all bad news. I promised Lightning lunch so I shouldn't keep her waiting." Seeing that he had nothing else to do, Raines retreated back to his office to deal with the plethora of problems arising from Oerba and the Geostigma situation. Lightning had no brand, but in the back of his mind, he had always known Jihl to be right.

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**Here's one more chapter! Thanks roxyroxas1313, I guess it's just me then. ;D**

**I really like writing Nabaat. She has her sights set, she's moving in.. (plays the theme from jaws) Daaaaadum. Daaadum. Dadum. Okay, I'll wrap up the arc next chapter, bringing it back to the present time so be prepared for a quick time skip before we delve back into the past.**

**Updates are... _really_ random. Sorry!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 or FF13.**

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_**\- Present Time -**_

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Her pen felt awkward in her hand, too large for her short fingers to wrap around. It made the letters look uneven, as if it were written by a child with neat handwriting. Lightning idly looked over the small notes Tifa had left and integrated them into her own. In a few days, Hope would have her gloves completed, fully integrated with the new feint system. Pushing herself up from her cross-legged position on the table, Lightning hopped off her desk and dragged her chair to the washroom.

It didn't take long for Lightning to realize that she had a sixth sense for danger; inexplicably knowing when it was coming despite there being no signs hinting towards it. It was the same for her panic attacks. At first, they had completely caught her off guard, but in the years after the Purge, they had became so frequent it was as if her body had somehow acclimatized to it. Climbing onto the bathroom vanity, Lightning flipped open the medicinal cabinet and sorted through her anxiety medication and wondered absentmindedly how she should take it. Considering her sudden change in body mass due to having mini cast on her, would her intake change?

Whatever.

She wouldn't consider herself as purposefully inflicting any sort of self harm, so she brushed it off as being careless. Popping off the lid, she was just about to take some before the door to her room slid open, "Light?" Tifa's voice filled the room, along with the sounds of her familiar strides.

Snapping close the lid, Lightning slipped it back into the medicinal cabinet and left the washroom, dragging her chair along with her, "You have the schedules?" One look, Lightning frowned at Tifa's empty hands, and she already knew the answer.

"Well," the fighter started, "Sazh said Dajh found his and turned it into a doodle pad, Fang said she did things free style, and Vanille didn't even know she was supposed to make one. Hope-"

"I already have his." Lightning said, "The others should take this seriously. It's not a game." Climbing onto her desk again, the pinkette continued mulling over her own notes, but she could feel Tifa's stare through a wall. Lifting her head, she tossed a quick glance over, catching Tifa's look before the fighter darted her eyes away. Her cheeks lit up slightly in a light shade of pink, and Lightning reasoned she was simply embarrassed at getting caught staring. Her thoughts wandered to the letter kept in her drawer, "Tifa, did you..."

The round ruby brown eyes widened, her brows raised, giving her a childish appearance of innocence, "Hm?"

"It's nothing." Shaking her head, Lightning turned to her papers again, but her focus was long lost. There was no need to drag Tifa into her mess. It was ghostly, but Lightning could almost feel a heavy hand ruffle her hair and hear the deep cheery laugh of a man she respected. No. She had let him go. She had released him with all of her other memories she held before the Purge. She had let _everything_ go except for Serah. There was nothing she wouldn't do for Serah, no price she wasn't unwilling to pay, and Lightning paid. She paid with everything she had but it still wasn't enough. "Do you want," Lightning paused, remembering how large and warm his hand had been when he would playfully slap her on the back, how he boomed with laughter when she would order unabashedly for both herself and Serah when he would treat her to lunch or dinner, "to go out for lunch?"

"Lunch?" Tifa echoed, her tone clearly showing surprise.

"My treat." Lightning said, refusing to look away from the papers in front of her, "You've been working hard. Improved a lot."

"Really?" Now Tifa sounded much more excited. She was like a child in some aspects. With mild amusement, Lightning smirked wryly to herself at how honest Tifa could be. "Well, I think so too."

It was false bravado, because she knew how self-conscious the fighter was. Always so doubtful, hesitating, as if she thought that she wasn't enough. Tifa put on a facade of being happy, cheery and all mother-like, but Lightning saw through it. The fighter was especially weak when it came to Cloud, and Lightning knew it would only be a matter of time before Aerith would make the situation worse. "We'll wait until this spell wears off." Lightning continued, "Anything you want."

The fighter walked up to the desk, leaning forward to give Lightning a suspicious look, "There has to be a catch. Why are you being so nice suddenly?"

"I'm not. There's nothing better to do, unless you want to continue training."

"Lunch sounds great." Tifa quickly amended her question, "So... just you and me? Or..."

"Your choice."

"Oh, okay." Lightning wasn't sure for once, but she could detect a trace of disappointment. There was a short pause before Tifa left Lightning's peripheral vision, "Still your treat?"

"Yes," Lightning stressed, "Don't make me start regretting-"

"Then I'll go tell everyone." Tifa interrupted, "We'll have a big group party or something. It'll be fun and everyone will get a chance to take a breather from all of this training."

"Trying to bleed me dry?" Lightning asked dryly, jumping down from her desk when she could feel her body start to tingle. It felt weird, but it was probably about time the spell wore off.

"Hey, you did say it was your treat, and it's not like you really cared if it was just you and me or if everyone else sat in-"

"What? You wanted me to say it was just going to be you and me?"

Tifa's face stiffened and drew into a comically indignant expression, but no matter what, Lightning had caught the blush on her cheeks, "No! I just thought you wanted to do something nice for me-"

"You're the one that invited everyone."

"I haven't... _yet_."

"Aren't you?"

The fighter shifted, drilling her shoe into the ground, "Do you want me to?"

"I don't care."

"Then everyone it is!" Tifa nearly yelled, stomping out of the room. It wasn't too long before Lightning could feel the effect of the mini spell leave her. She looked to her small hands, watching as they grew just as quickly as they had shrunk. Returning to her original height, she did a quick look-over of her body and released a silent breath of relief that everything had returned to normal. She returned to the bathroom to look in the mirror of good measure, inspecting her face before she simply stood there. Flicking on the faucet, she listened to the gushing water rapidly spinning down the drain and stared blankly at her reflection.

It was impossible. She was nothing like Amodar. She wasn't allowed to even _try_ to be anything like him. It'll only put a smudge on his good memory. Opening up the medicinal cabinet, Lightning retrieved the pills and swallowed them. The quiet but persistent hiss in the back of her mind simmered down a little before she left for her room to grab her wallet and sent off a quick message to Tifa, informing her that the spell had worn off, and that she'll meet her and whoever she has invited for lunch down at the lobby.

...

When she had heard Tifa say 'everyone' she only assumed Aerith, Cloud, and maybe Marlene. Now, Lightning thought that the fighter probably did this to spite her. _Everyone_ was here. The fighter had long fled away from her vicinity, walking alongside Aerith. Cloud was with Barret, Fang with Vanille, and Sazh with Hope. Barret was walking with the BJW trio, in which Lightning figured would be simpler to put the first letter of their names in an acronym since they're always together, and Marlene and Dajh were playing not too far away from their fathers. With her arms crossed around her chest, Lightning raised an eyebrow at the man walking calmly beside her and snorted, "Shouldn't this be your treat? You have a higher pay grade."

"It was your proposal." Raines answered evenly, "I was pleasantly surprised when Tifa invited me."

"Her idea. I can't believe she somehow roped me into paying." Lightning lied, suddenly feeling the desire to start building up as many walls as possible around herself. _This_ was simply who she was.

"Hm..." The man hummed, waiting patiently until Lightning spoke again. Whether he believed her or not, he showed no indication.

"Where is it?"

"Where is what?"

"The... The exercise celebrating the top cadets. It's usually around this time, right?" Lightning murmured, looking off into the city.

"Palumpolum." Raines answered, "Why do you ask? I'm to make a speech at the closing, do you want to come with me? It would be good for the cadets to see a veteran that they can look up to. After all, you were in the same shoes just a few years ago."

"Hardly." Lightning bit out a little too aggressively and gave Raines a cautious look, "I just..."

"I remember watching Amodar take you and those boys out for lunch back then." Raines suddenly changed the topic, "He always did things like this." Lightning pursed her lips and fought her innate desire to stare at her feet because no one was here to tip her head up. "Something on your mind?" Before she could control it, her eyes snapped to Tifa and Raines followed her stare. "You know, I can see a little bit of yourself back then in her." Raines commented and chuckled in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere, "But... she is a _bit_ more developed." Lightning shot him a dark look. "I am still a man." Raines smiled, but then continued in a more serious tone, "She's eager to impress you."

"I was nothing like that."

"Right, you were a lot more stubborn and unapologetic... but, Amodar... was proud, and he would be if he were still-"

Lightning's fists tightened as she stiffly returned her arms to her side. "I don't want to talk about him."

"Light!" She saw Tifa standing ahead waving her hand at her before she pointed at a restaurant. Before she knew it, they were already in the Grand Avenue. Grateful for the interruptions, she gave the fighter a quick nod. Tifa entered the restaurant with everyone else in tow.

"You're good." Raines said, patting her shoulder gently, "You've always been good." He entered too, leaving her alone at storefront. Taking a deep breath, Lightning shook out the knots in her shoulders before she walked in. They were already seated, surprising as Lightning expected that they would have to wait considering their large group, and the only empty seat was the one beside Tifa and Raines. She grabbed a seat, thanking the waiter when he handed her a menu. The words on it blurred and she stared down at the white spaces in between and the chatter slowly tuned out in her ears.

"Light? Lightning? Hey, Light!" Lightning snapped out of her thoughtless trance when she rudely felt someone grab her chin and tilt her head.

"Stop it." Lightning snapped, slapping Tifa's hand away.

"You were ignoring me." The fighter huffed, but then suddenly grinned nonetheless. There were slight dimples on her cheeks, and her eyes crinkled at the side as she leaned against Lightning's arm and looked at the menu, "What are you ordering?" She pointed at some random item on the menu, not truly caring but Tifa seemed to. "That? I can make that for you. Order something I can't make."

"I don't know what you can or can't make." Lightning retorted before handing the menu off to Tifa, "Then order for me."

"Well, I think this looks good." Tifa said, "Oh! And this."

"Sure."

"What about this?"

"Sure."

"How about we order everything?"

Lightning raised an eyebrow, meeting Tifa's challenge, "Only if you can finish it. No take-outs."

Again, the fighter grinned, "Then you'll have this." She eventually pointed to the item Lightning had randomly chose before she turned her attention to Aerith who was sitting on her other side.

"Just like you." Raines commented under his breath, earning a sharp nudge in his waist. Rolling her eyes, the pinkette glanced around the table and met Cloud's eyes mistakenly. She didn't miss the glare he had tried to hide when he looked away, but before she could say or do anything about it, Tifa had rested her hand on her arm and given her a slight squeeze as she went on a tangent about the food she cooks. Keeping a close eye on Cloud, Lightning felt something pressure her chest when he looked more and more ill at ease when Tifa offered to cook for her. He's always watching her.

"If you want." Lightning murmured, giving a tone of indifference at best. She would never say anything with certainty outside of work because she's come to expect nothing. The fighter didn't look upset in the least though; still so completely and utterly clueless. Her hand wandered up to trace the bolt shaped pendant. Jealousy was ugly, and Lightning had first-hand experience dealing with what she surmised Cloud was feeling. It was only a matter of time before someone was going to get hurt.

...

Tifa groaned as she flopped down on her bed rubbing her large stomach, "I'm so full..." The fighter would probably choose to roll over dead the next moment than to let anybody else see her act like this. It was refreshing... and subconsciously, Lightning appreciated how at ease Tifa was with her. There was no tension, no treating her as if she was a ticking time bomb, and Lightning could finally allow herself to relax slightly.

"Maybe you shouldn't have ordered so much then." Lightning responded and took up her resident spot at her desk, browsing over the training regimen again. They had returned back to the base and everyone scattered to tend to their own business.

"Light? Sorry."

She rewrote what she had written before under the mini spell, replacing the childish writing with her cursive words, "For what?"

"Y'know, mini." Tifa huffed, "I just thought it would be interesting."

"It's fine. I've done worse."

Rolling onto her stomach, Tifa kicked her feet in the air and traced the grey patterns on the bed sheets, "Not surprised there."

No. Tifa had _no_ idea.

Lightning continued writing, and kept quiet. The reason why Tifa would act so freely around her was because she didn't know about her past, and Lightning wanted to preserve that. Everyone she has ever met started treating her differently after finding out who she was and her role in the Purge. Pressing her lips into a thin line, she snuck a furtive look to see Tifa still preoccupied with her meaningless task in inspecting the patterns before she allowed her hand to slip over the drawer where the last letter she had written, but not given, to Serah rested. Lightning saw it was something unfit for Tifa to know, and the less she knew, the better. She didn't want anything between them to change. "Light?" Tifa started again, her tone almost airy, "Do you... want to talk?"

She locked the drawer and returned to writing, "What makes you ask that?"

"I don't know." Tifa admitted, "I just thought you looked a little out of it today."

"No. I'm fine."

There was a pause, "Alright then." Tifa didn't believe her, it was obvious from her tone, but it's not like there was anything that could be done. Lightning kept her silence, and continued writing.

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**So concludes the first arc. The second arc will pick up shortly before Lightning confesses to Tifa in FM. I realized that I've never mentioned Amodar much in FM, so I'll explain that in this story. **

**Happy Chinese New Year!**


	10. Arc 2: Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 or FF13.**

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_**CH36 - Present Time - CH37**_

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There was a warmth against her arm that she had long forgotten. It seeped into her skin, spreading through her entire body until she tingled pleasantly, like sitting around a warm fireplace on a cold winter's night. "This is _so_ embarrassing." Tifa murmured beside her, slightly sniffling because of the crying she had done, and because of the downpour that had soaked them through and through. That was also the reason why Tifa was hiding behind her arm.

Shaking Tifa off, Lightning shrugged off her jacket and handed it to the fighter, "Here."

"But- you're only wearing a-"

"It's fine. I'm still wearing more than you. Besides, at least you can see my shirt."

Again, Tifa blushed red and rapidly slipped Lightning's jacket over her invisible-when-wet white tee. It was light, but Tifa had caught a whiff of Lightning's peachy rose scent again. Quickly grasping Lightning's hand again, the fighter tried to muster her best smile and rested her head on Lightning's shoulder. The lingering heat in the jacket reminded her of how it felt being so physically close to the soldier. "I'm…" Peering up at Lightning through her eyelashes, Tifa hesitated, "I'm hungry."

"You're-" Lightning released a deep breath, "Right. You're _hungry_. Of course."

"Well, what did you expect me to say?" Tifa asked, but knew Lightning probably had a thousand and one answers to that question. Some of the things that happened tonight were topics she would rather not approach right now, but it's a good guess that hunger would be a safe topic. She knows Lightning to be headstrong and stubborn, and because of these qualities, Tifa's grateful whenever the soldier remains quiet on these particular matters of the heart. Lightning was practical and usually reasonable, perhaps a little socially disinclined, so she knew that the soldier wouldn't want to hear her regurgitate her love woes after seeing such a violent display of it.

What remaining color on Tifa's face drained when she _finally_ remembered what she did. Slap. She slapped Lightning. She slapped- _backhanded_ Lightning. She backhanded slapped Lightning. "Let's get something to eat then. You know that I don't have anything to eat at my place." Lightning grunted, brushing past Tifa towards some random noodle house nearby.

Tifa followed a little cautiously, now extremely self-conscious. Once inside the small cozy restaurant, she slipped into the seat across from Lightning with withered beneath the blue eyed scrutiny. "Y-Yes?" Tifa stammered, shrinking back in her seat as if Lightning would suddenly reach across the table and slap- no, backhand her across the face. She was sure Lightning would be the type to 'return the favor' and do it ten times worse just for kicks.

"Here," Lightning tossed a menu into the empty table space in front of her, "Order something."

"Uhm…" Lightning frowned and now Tifa was really scared Lightning was going to hit her. However, before anything could be said or done, the waiter came over and thankfully interrupted them. Lightning merely flipped open the menu again and seemingly pointed at something random and Tifa just ordered what Lightning ordered. They both didn't know what they were going to get from the kitchen. "I-I'm sorry!" Tifa abruptly yelled, not willing to suffer any more from the unbearable tension. The entire restaurant turned around and looked at her due to her loud outburst before they returned back to their own business. "Sorry…" Tifa winced, why did she have to be such a dork?

"For what?"

"For… slapping you." The soldier took a deep breath and leaned back in her chair. The blue eyes stared at Tifa evenly, but she kept her lips sealed. Without responding, Lightning looked to her right in boredom. "So… yeah… sorry." Her shoulders hunched, Tifa's chin curled inwards and awaited Lightning's response. She felt bad, and guilty. First of all, Tifa knew she looked as if she had been dragged through the mud and back, her eyes were probably swollen and red, so... she looked like a wet stray cat. Yet they were here dragging water into some nice restaurant because she was selfish _and_ hungry. The soldier was just wearing a slim black sleeveless shirt, and her hair was wet, and plastered against her neck, and- and- and it was just distracting.

"It's okay." Tifa's eyes snapped from raking over Lightning's neck back up to her azure blue eyes. "No harm." Right, so slapping her so hard that there was a bruise on her cheek didn't constitute as harm in Lightning's mind. For a moment, Tifa contemplated what it would be like to be in Lightning's mind and know all the ins and outs of that woman's brain.

"You're not… mad?"

"No."

"Okay…" Tifa fiddled with her fingers and looked anywhere else but at Lightning. The food arrived, saving her from the awkward silence but the waiter seemed all too eager to scurry away from the cloud of doom and gloom they had managed to blow out and around them.

Looking at Lightning's countenance though, it certainly looked as if Tifa was the only one suffocating under the tension. The soldier sighed loudly, and Tifa instantly sat up straight and in attention. "Are you masochistic?" Lightning asked as she neatly snapped her chopsticks apart and started picking through her food.

"Maso- No." Tifa frowned when Lightning raised an eyebrow to challenge her.

"Then I'm not mad."

Tifa didn't get it, but if Lightning wasn't mad then that was good. Slurping up the noodles, Tifa repressed a satisfied moan at the delicious flavor. It was only half way through the dinner, with Tifa genuinely trying to forget what she had witnessed earlier tonight, that Tifa rethought her words to the soldier. "Light?" Blue eyes peered up at her from behind the steaming soup base, "Thanks. Thanks for everything."

"You said that already."

"I guess I did." Tifa remained silent for the rest of the meal.

…

She was convinced that there had to be something wonky about Tifa's head or maybe she had some kind of a masochistic complex for blond, useless, and arrogant, sad excuses of a living being. It was no secret that Lightning didn't exactly have the most friendly and likeable personality, but that had to be the first time anyone had dared slap her. If it had been anyone else other than Tifa at the time, Lightning would have slapped her right back, and done it ten times harder just for kicks. It had been Tifa though, and for some reason, Lightning couldn't bring herself to deal another blow to the fighter when she was still recoiling in pain. Cloud and Aerith; Aerith and Cloud... whatever.

Tifa treated anything and everything that had to do with Aerith and Cloud's relationship like a big dark plume of poison that she couldn't approach without frantically waving her arms and making herself look like a complete idiot. Cloud didn't deserve her. Hell, he didn't even deserve Aerith. Females from Gaia must be blind, or just shallow because Cloud really just had his face going for him. Lightning had half the mind to ask if he spends more time styling his hair in the morning or training with his surfboard sized butcher knife.

She could still see Tifa's anger, her pain, and when she cried, Lightning just shuddered. That look just looked so wrong. Tifa had dimples when she smiled, she looked so... damn happy and genuine. So honest, yet she would choose to cry and hurt over a man that didn't deserve her. Aerith was sweet too, but there were always two sides that needed to be dealt with, and Lightning got the feeling that being entirely honest wasn't a trait of the brunette's. Not that she had the right to complain.

Watching Tifa eat her noodles was strangely calming. Her eyes were still red, and she was still a bit… _leaky_, but the food must be doing wonders. She always had an innate habit to put labels on people. It was easier to deal with people after having segregated into groups. It wasn't that she judged people this way, after all, she had never paid much mind to stereotypes, but doing what she did allowed her to find some semblance of order in life. She made sure to keep her distances, but where did Tifa fit?

Lightning shook her head; she didn't understand. Couldn't understand. She wanted Tifa near, but how near? How close? Not close enough for her to know the truth because she didn't know how Tifa would react. Being with Tifa was like a breath of fresh air away from the caustic and oppressive smoke of the Purge. Lightning liked the fresh air, and she liked Tifa.

She liked Tifa.

Not like she liked Fang or Hope though. Those two knew and understood, and thought that everything Lightning did or said would always have some double meaning leading back to the Purge. Lightning stared into Tifa's round eyes, unblinking, as she chewed out her thoughts. _Friends?_ Hope, Fang, Vanille, and Sazh were her friends. Tifa didn't really fit that bill. Step back. Lightning took her own advice to heart, and she looked at Tifa once again. The fighter was kind, strong and honest. So she was a little of an idiot, frustrating and a little too self-conscious, but she was just as much of a free spirit. She was so free, so different from herself, and she liked Tifa like this. If Fang had been in Tifa's place, Lightning was absolutely positive she would've punched Fang in the face and told her to 'get over herself.' This was Tifa though, and Tifa was different.

Like Serah? No, it couldn't be anymore wrong and just thinking about it further cemented that fact in her head. Never like Serah. If it were Snow that she had caught kissing another girl, Lightning wouldn't know if she would be furious or delighted. No asshole would dare cheat on her sister, yet not asshole deserved her, and Lightning would murder any boy ten times over if they dared hurt Serah. However, she didn't want to be the 'Lightning' to 'Serah' when it came to Tifa. No one would ever take her sister's place.

She didn't like Tifa like she loved Serah, she didn't like Tifa like she liked Hope or Fang, but she wasn't sure if what she was feeling was anything more intimate. Lightning knows she shouldn't care too much, but the question that halts her mid-thought is why she does. Tifa still loves Cloud; it was obvious. She shouldn't get too involved because it didn't take a genius to figure out that someone would be hurt in the end. Like Tifa. She's hurting. So the fighter vehemently professes that it's supposed to be love, but to Lightning it appeared to be nothing more than blind devotion. He chose Aerith over Tifa. Maybe she understood that too and now it was Tifa's turn to make her decision.

She liked Tifa, and maybe liked her more than just 'like.' Kind of… like-_liked_ her.

Lightning withdrew when she heard Tifa sneeze. The fighter scrunched her nose a little and hid a sniffle behind her hand. Handing a tissue to her, Lightning listened to her small 'thank you' and turned back to her own bowl in concentration. She won't allow herself to be the 'Lightning' to 'Serah,' but If Cloud was going to be a jealous asshole, then maybe... for Tifa, she didn't mind being her 'Snow' to 'Serah' then. She could just imagine that damn moronic smile Snow had that made her want to punch out his teeth.

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**So this takes place in-between chapters 36 and 37 of FM. Would it be better if I indicated when these chapters about 'current time' would take place with respect to Fictus Memoriae at the top of the page before the chapter? Or just as is?**

**I rewrote this chapter twice because I wanted to properly sort out Lightning's interpretations of her feelings. Although reading this now, I do suppose I had taken out some of the more romantic aspects of Lightning's sudden confession to Tifa, and (hopefully) turned it into a more solid and reasonable conclusion as to why Lightning had decided that she 'liked' Tifa.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 or FF13.**

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_**Eight Years Ago**_

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She was glaring holes in his head, staring at that damn moronic smile Snow had that made her want to punch out his teeth. It didn't help that he had half a noodle stringing out of his nose, while his best 'bud' moron number two, also known as Gadot, was trying to snort his noodle out of his nose. Having long lost her appetite, Lightning only sat there for Serah, who was seated beside her laughing at the two boys' antics. She hated Snow, hated him with a passion, because Lightning was sure that she wouldn't meet anyone more irresponsible, more no-good, than him. He was the same age as her, yet he spent every single day prancing around with his little 'NORA' group pretending to be vigilante heroes wielding pellet guns. Above all, he thought he knew Serah better than she did and what made it worse was that Serah liked him. Like, like-_liked_ him. Ever since she had returned from Academia three months ago, her baby sister wouldn't stop talking about him and it drove Lightning up the wall.

Like sitting here listening to Serah laugh harder when he snorted noodles out of _both_ of his nostrils. "Guys, stop it. That's _disgusting_." The girl walking out of the kitchen said as she rolled her eyes. In her hands was a dish full of cookies. Her name was Lebreau, and although Lightning didn't particularly like her, at least she was marginally better than the losers she hangs out with. "Right Lightning?"

Tearing her death glare away from Snow, she met Lebreau's hopeful brown eyes, "Yeah…"

"Uhm… here," Lebreau held the cookies out to Lightning as if it were some sort of offering, "Grab some first, y'know, before…" She nodded her chin to the boys who were picking the noodles out from their nose with their hands, "A-And grab some for me too. I still have to help out in the kitchen."

"Alright." Grabbing a tissue, Lightning grabbed six and handed them all to Serah, and then in another tissue, grabbed three and set it on the table beside her for Lebreau. She did the math after glancing at how many cookies there were, and divided it accordingly.

"Thanks!" Serah grinned, and rested the cookies in-between, but Lightning simply shook her head.

"You can have mine too."

"Really?"

"Really." Smiling at the hug Serah gave her, Lightning shifted and glanced up curiously when she noticed Lebreau was still standing beside her staring. "What?"

The other girl suddenly flushed red and rapidly turned around, nearly tossing the plate onto the table, "Nothing!" She quickly scurried back into the kitchen, and Lightning belatedly noticed Snow and Gadot snickering.

"Lebreau thinks you're cool." Serah whispered into her ear, "But she's too nervous to talk to you because she thinks you're scary."

"I'm not scary." Lightning huffed.

"Yeah, sis isn't scary! Right Serah?" Snow beamed at the younger Farron sister, earning a bright blush.

Eyes flashed, and Lightning growled at the boy, "I'm not your sister."

"Oooo- scary!" Gadot snickered before Snow punched his arm.

Pushing herself from her seat, Lightning ignored the laughing and looked to Serah, "I'm heading up first. I still have some homework I have to do."

"Okay, I'll see you later then."

Five years; Lightning repeated in her head. Five years and she'll be able to find somewhere else to live, be legally of age to take care of Serah herself, and she'll graduate from cadet school. Her eyes are set at the top, and in order to reach her goal, Lightning knew she would have to work hard. No more of the orphanage, no more Snow, and no more of his idiot friends. She'll finally be able to get away from the noodle snorting and all of his other ridiculous ideas of fun. Retreating back into the shared room she had with her sister at the orphanage, Lightning clambered onto the small desk fit snuggle against the far back corner and flicked on the table light. After her return, word of her participation had reached her teachers, and under Amodar's recommendation, they created an advanced placement program just for her. Harder concepts and strategies were introduced to her in her theoretical courses, and the Lieutenant had even promised her that she would be allowed to use an actual gun and sword during practice to train with students above her age group. Of course, everything was done under strict care and observation of Amodar himself.

That also meant she had less time to spend with Serah. She'd rush home after school and stay with Serah as long as possible until dinner, even if that also meant she'd be in and around Snow's vicinity for a greater amount of time. Given the few hours she could spend with Serah, Lightning spoiled her sister rotten with every chance she had. Scribbling some nearly illegible writing down, Lightning tossed her notebook back into her pack before she started on her sketches, gliding her ruler and protractor up and down the sheet to make clean lines. This particular assignment had her go through and understand a classical battle strategy employed by Cocoon forces during the famous War of Transgression resulting in the destruction of the great city now known as the Hanging Edge. Frankly, it was quite a headache trying to put it into an essay format when she could easily summarize it as a 'big monster attack' and be done with it.

Well, that _would_ give her some more time to spend with Serah.

Her door creaked open, and Lightning didn't need to turn to know Serah had done her best and creep in as quiet as possible. "It's alright." Lightning laughed lightly, turning to face her sister, "I just finished." With one hand still on the table, she jotted down 'big monster attack' right in the middle of the blank page and stuffed it into her bag as well.

"Was it hard?" Serah asked as she eased up and jumped onto the bed in a fit of giggles when Lightning followed after. The two rolled onto their backs, side-by-side, and stared up at the ceiling.

"No, nothing's hard." Lightning shrugged, "It's easy."

"Everything's easy to you! That's because you're smart."

"I heard you got a _hundred_ on your math test."

"Yeah! I'll show you!" Eagerly, Serah darted from the bed to the desk, rummaging through the drawers before she produced a page of math with a big, bold, perfect mark written at the top. "Hehe, it was easy." Her younger sister said shyly when she saw Lightning smile proudly.

"See? You're smart too," Lightning said, "Probably smarter than Snow."

"That's not nice." Yet despite her words, Lightning could see her sister barely hold back a snicker, "He's _really_ nice. Today, he-" That was when Lightning started tuning out what Serah was saying. Resting beside each other on the bed, she listened to her sister talk. It was a strange mixture of paying attention, but paying none at all. She didn't really care what Serah had to say about Snow, but she cared that Serah looked so happy when telling her all of these things. She always laughed at the right time, scowled whenever Serah expected it, and in return, Serah listened to her day at school with rapt attention. Serah asked about her homework, so Lightning started rambling off some facts she thought her sister might find interesting, especially about the 'big monster attack' on Cocoon.

"So the monster of a hundred arms," an exaggeration just to make it more cool, "attacked Cocoon."

"What happened after?"

"The Hanging Edge." Lightning summarized, twisting on the bed to see Serah's dopey smile. Her eye lids were falling as she drifted in and out of sleep. "The monster disappeared though," Lightning continued in a quieter voice as she pulled their blankets up and around them, "Cocoon won eventually. That's why you, me, and everyone else is here."

"What if-" Serah yawned and snuggled into Lightning's body, "What if it comes back?"

"It did, but it was _good_ this time." Lightning whispered, gently whisking stray strands of hair away from Serah's face and tucked her in, "but if an evil one comes, I'll protect you." She held her sister close, listening to the content hum her sister gave. "I'll protect you." Lightning promised, repeating the silent oath she had made to herself years ago, "I'll protect you no matter what." She fell asleep too.

…

"This is a new era! A new era of change and prosperity the PSICOM has never known before!" Jihl reached for the holographic screen, minimizing the news clip replaying her earlier speech before it flicked back to the news anchor. There have been many titles given to her over the years, such as PSICOM's finest, PSICOM's pride, and many are already calling her _The_ PSICOM. From prodigal cadet, to genius strategist and soldier, to cunning and ruthless politician, and now to the people's favorite; Jihl had become one of Cocoon's most renowned and influential people. Of course, her list of achievements were endless. Brilliant technological advances, reformation of key groundbreaking military and government policies; those were only a few of what she had done in the short twenty five years of her life and now she sat only a seat away from actually becoming PSICOM itself. _Colonel_ Jihl Nabaat: a wicked smile came to her lips at the thought and it would only be a matter of months before that position would be secured.

She had the people's vote and support, their hearts in the center of her palm because of some fancy rhetoric and persuasive acting. Sitting on her desk was a white envelope, inside marking another milestone in her career. To think that she would be the first to secure military relations with SHINRA, an international partner long ignored with untapped opportunities. Now the SOLDIER program intrigued her greatly, and although she thought Professor Hojo as a lunatic, she did not - _could_ not write off his achievements as madness. They offered results, and that's what she cared about. First Class SOLDIER Sephiroth, Genesis, Angeal… those men were soldiers of strength and intelligence, prime examples of soldiers she wished to see the PSICOM possessing. Militaristic expansion seemed to be at the forefront of Shinra and SHINRA corp. so Jihl knew that she was in the perfect position to strike a deal. Considering the difficulties SHINRA seemed to face against Wutai, certainly PSICOM influenced_ tools_ would be enticing. The last time she had met with Shinra, he had regaled her on the Reactors and she had not so subtly pointed out that improvements could be made to increase its efficiency.

She slipped the terms of the contract with Shinra out, perfecting the negotiations and taking into account any possible foreseeable events which would affect how much she would offer. Call her a skeptic, and although the SOLDIER program was promising, her last encounter with Genesis was… disconcerting at best. Jihl drew her red pen across the page, making her own brief notes and made sure to hold back on signing until the future appeared more stable. She didn't get too far before her computer beeped, notifying her of an incoming video conference. With a press of a button, the screen opened and a familiar Brigadier General appeared. "Good afternoon, Lieutenant Colonel." Raines greeted, but she hardly bothered looking up from the papers on her desk, "Or should I start calling you Colonel?"

He was flattering her, and that meant he wanted something. "Still too soon." Jihl answered surely, "However, I anticipate that it won't be long."

"You really know how to motivate the people. I saw your speech."

"All in a day's work, which does not include speaking with you. Now what is it that you need?"

"I can't call to chat? Just for old time's sake?"

Daintily putting her pen down, the PSICOM leaned back and crossed her arms across her chest, "You and I both know that we don't _chat_. Save the pleasantries."

"Geostigma is gone." There was a silence between them, and Jihl stared into Raines' unwavering yet solemn gaze as if trying to gauge him. "Oerba is gone."

"Why are you telling me?"

"I'd like to ask you to keep this tragedy away from politics. Many people have died. I'll make an announcement to the general public in a few days' time." If she didn't know Raines better, she would've simply written this off as a vain attempt to save his career or avoid a demotion for his pathetic performance in how he dealt with the Oerba situation, but despite the side of him that wasn't so much different from herself, she knew that he was an idealistic man. Perhaps bordering on blind optimism. Did he feel threatened after seeing her speech where she had effortlessly whipped the people up into an enthusiastic crowd? He was requesting a truce, and she knew that she was a piece on his chess board just as much as he was on hers.

"A dark time indeed." Jihl chose her words carefully, "Although I can't say the same for my peers, I will respect your wishes." Although she too didn't approve of Raines' handling of the situation, she wasn't a fool to turn this into some political farce. Although many people are swayed by strong words and ruled by emotions, it is exactly these emotions that will resent those who would disrespect the dead by putting them in a middle of some military power struggle. There was a slight swell of amusement when Jihl realized that Raines didn't know her as well as he thought he did. Otherwise, he wouldn't have needed to call and be indebted to her. "Now, I'd like to ask for something in return." Jihl immediately capitalized on their unspoken exchange of favors, "I'd like administrative access to the education of Guardian Corps cadets pertaining to their transcripts and performance reports, including all paper and electronic entries of personal files and history. Now, I'm perfectly aware that I can make this request through the main government, but we both know how much of a bother putting an official request through is. I've realized that, perhaps, I haven't given our up and risking cadets enough credit. After all, you and I had been in their place once before. The current system is highly inefficient. Guardian Corps cadets are recorded in a different format that our PSICOM ones, yet they all have to be re-entered into the same pool for drafting after graduation. Considering the number of transfers and new applicants switching between our two factions, it would be much better if we simply integrate both systems into one and cut the costs, time delays, and other technical issues that arise."

"You're suggesting we merge our databases on our cadets." Raines basically summarized.

"Exactly." Jihl hummed. He knew what she wanted, and he knew she would stop at nothing to obtain it. Putting an official request through the main government was hardly a hurdle but an annoyance, and there were no reasons for the main government to reject her request. After all, she was proposing that she would personally design this new database and cut costs while doing exactly what they had been doing before but in a far more efficient and effective manner. She was simply cutting out the middle man in this process, and if Raines agreed, he'd be in along for the credit at the end. He didn't have a choice.

…

"Big. Monster. Attack." Amodar purposefully read out slowly, clearly punctuating each and every word. "Lightning, I don't even know what to say." He slipped the page back onto the desk and slid it across back to the pink haired girl, "Redo it."

"But-"

"Lightning, I wanted an essay. Not three words."

"You already know what happens! I know what happens! I should I bother writing about some old war strategy that we're never going to see used again-"

"Lightning." Amodar started, straightening his back and seating himself like an old wise sage, "We must learn from the mistakes of our past."

"It's not like another monster-"

"Monster?" The man interrupted, "Really? You didn't even have the decency to write Ragnarok. History is important, now sit down. You're not getting your lunch break until you write this essay properly."

"It didn't matter what strategy Cocoon had used to fight off the Pulse forces." Lightning huffed as she grudgingly sat down in the chair on the other side of Amodar's desk and glared at the pen he handed her, "They lost anyways. I mean, the moment Ragnarok came it was game over. It's like, it doesn't matter what kind of gun you have the moment someone detonates a bomb on you. It goes boom. Game. Over."

"Lightning, don't get snarky. Just write me three paragraphs and be done with it." She refused to pout, so instead she just pursed her lips into a thin line before she started scribbling down messy sentences. A comfortable silence fell between them, filled with the scratching of the pen against paper and the light tapping of Amodar's keyboard as he wrote and updated safety and security procedures in the system.

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**Alright, so I've made changes to the previous chapter to indicate when present time takes place in regards to Fictus Memoriae. It'll look like [Ch.36 - Present Time - Ch.37] so you'll know then that the chapter takes place between chapters 36 and 37. You'll see this at the beginning of every arc. The story about young Lightning basically happens right after the other, or just a few months' time has elapsed, so it should read properly even if you choose to ignore the 'present time' chapters.**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing! **


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 or FF13.**

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Lightning had always been a light sleeper. She awoke to any noise, any sort of stirring or whisper. There had been one night a few years ago, shortly after they had moved into the orphanage, where Lightning had woken up and didn't find Serah in her bed. It had sent her into a panic, but she soon found her baby sister curled up by the washroom door down the hallway, crying because she had been too scared to go to the washroom herself and that the hallways were too dark. The next morning, Lightning had adamantly demanded the adults at the orphanage to install a night-light while she would walk Serah to and forth from the washroom like a diligent bodyguard. Eventually, Serah grew out of her fear of the dark, and walked the halls of the orphanage as if it were her home, but Lightning still kept an ear out just in case. She woke up with a start, frantically blinking her eyes to focus her vision in the darkness. Her bed creaked, but beneath the sound of the old springs, Lightning heard a soft sniffle. "Serah?" Lightning called out groggily, pushing herself up on her bed to see the blanketed cocoon on the other bed curl up into an even smaller ball. "Serah? What's wrong?"

"It's-_hic_-nothing." Serah's meek reply came muffled from the blankets.

"No, it's not nothing." Lightning said softly, turning her table light on. "I know you're crying."

Baby blue eyes peaked out from beneath the sheets grasped in tight hands. They were red and watery, and all exhaustion evaporated from Lightning. Her sister always came first. "What happened?"

"M-My stomach hurts." Serah said pathetically and began sniffling again.

Lightning asked, "How does it hurt? Gas? Does it feel like you need to burb or fart?"

That earned a horribly hidden snicker, "N-No."

"Maybe you ate something wrong. It's gotta be Lebreau's cooking. Do you need to go to the washroom?" Again, Serah giggled.

"No, but…" The younger girl sat up and shivered, "It just… hurts." Without beckon, Serah clambered into Lightning's bed and buried herself beneath her sheets. Wrapping her sister in her arms again, Lightning placed her warm hand on Serah's belly.

"Does it still hurt?"

"Not so much." Serah murmured against Lightning's shoulder. "I… I love you." Lightning didn't shift, not even when she could feel Serah's tears trickle onto her skin or how her sister's body started shaking again. "I wish… dad was here- a-and mom too. S-sorry."

"Serah-"

"You have to go to school a-and you have a lot of homework. I'm bothering you and-"

"Serah, you're _never_ a bother." Lightning whispered gently, kissing the crown of Serah's head, "I'll always be here for you. I promise."

Blue eyes peeked up at her in a silent plea. They were both so young, so innocent, offering nothing but a child's unadulterated and unwavering trust. "Me too." Serah grinned, despite her runny nose. Well, everything was quite… _leaky_ but Lightning could hardly shy away from her sister. It would be them against the world. Serah burrowed herself into the crook of Lightning's neck again, wrapping her arms around in a warm embrace. Their dad wasn't here anymore, and neither of them could remember their mom. Lightning had been three, and so she still had blurry recollections, but their mother had died at child birth when Serah was born and so her sister only knew through pictures and stories.

After watching her sister, no older than six, ask if it was her fault their mother died and how their dad crumpled with grief afterwards behind closed doors, _Claire_ had resolved to fill in that motherly role. She had done it a little clumsily, and their dad had drilled it into their minds that their mother had died because of geostigma. Lightning knew Serah still carried that unreasonable guilt, but there was nothing she could do about it and it made her feel weak.

Lightning didn't sleep that night. Serah had long drifted off, probably tired from her crying, but the older sister's head was now filled with thoughts of mom and dad. She didn't fault them for dying, it's not like they wanted to, but she just didn't like how alone they had left them. No relatives, no family except for each other. They lived in an orphanage, but the more she thought about it, this place was more like a place where all children abandoned by their parents in one form or another wound up. Snow's parents were dead, Gadot's parents had drinking problems, Yuj's mother had ran away and his dad had gambling problems, Maqui's parents were abusive, and that left out Lebreau. That girl's parents ran a restaurant and they treated her as if she was a mistake.

They all had their own sob stories, and Serah knew she couldn't cry over her own in front of the others. She did it in front of Lightning only and Lightning… _Lightning_ didn't cry. Everything would be fine as long as she had Serah.

She rested her eyes until she heard the buzz of her pending alarm and shut it off before it could ring. Serah was still wrapped around her like pita bread. Carefully, peeling herself away without waking up her sister, Lightning resumed her normal schedule of preparing for school and snuck in a quick kiss to Serah's cheek before she left. The streets of Bodhum hummed with life with everyone rushing to get to work or school, but the main road that Lightning usually traversed was backed up with traffic as far as she could see. Cars honked, irate people were getting… well, _more_ irate, and nearly everyone was dialing one person or another up on their phones. It was unusual to see things like this, but she paid no mind until reaching the Guardian Corp cadet academy, which was situated next to the actual military base. Soldiers were buzzing back and forth, and all transports and trucks have been pulled out. Amongst the crowd, she saw Amodar briskly walking about with Baxter and Ray flanking him.

Since she reported directly to him first thing in the morning, Lightning shuffled over, gripping the straps of her backpack tightly. "Lieutenant-"

"Lightning, you're here. Good." Amodar promptly interrupted her, "There's an emergency in town. A monster outbreak. I'll have to go supervise and make sure the proper procedure has been followed. Head to class as usual." It could almost be considered dismissive with how he had hardly spared her a glance. Looking back and forth from the cadet academy to the military base, Lightning lingered for a few seconds before grudgingly starting her day.

She watched as the clock ticked downwards, counting the seconds and right on the point, the bell rang raucously to signify the end of the period. Lightning promptly gathered her books, stuffing them into her bag with haste and dashed out of the classroom before anyone had the chance to talk to her. Not the others _would_. Amodar's office was in sight, she didn't even bother knocking before bursting in to find the large desk empty where he would usually sit behind stacks of paper and snacks. He wasn't back, yet it was time for her one-on-one review with him. Shuffling inside, she placed her bag over the small desk they had stolen from one of the classrooms and attached it to the side of his, before booting up his computer for him. The first thing she did was turn on the radio to listen to any reports on the monster outbreak near town.

Being part of the Bodhum Security Regiment meant dealing with these kinds of things. She had long grown accustomed to Amodar tell her about stories of break-ins, wild attacks from agitated beasts, domestic disputes where officials have been called in, along with the murder or hostage cases. Amodar dealt with everything ongoing in the base, and even takes the time to supervise over the up-and-coming would-be soldiers in training. Dragging her chair to the window, Lightning perched herself there and stared out into the city. There was a heavy lump in her throat, and it felt as if her heart was beating slower. She remembered this feeling well, nearly drowned in it in the past when she had been sequestered in a white hospital room with Serah sleeping on her lap. The nurse that had been there constantly told her that her dad was going to be alright, that it wasn't too serious, and soon enough, they'd be able to return home.

Despite her good intentions, no crueler words have been said when another nurse had walked in and told them that her dad was not alright. It had been serious. He was gone. A week later, they were taken away from their house. There was no will left to them, because their dad hadn't expected to die of a sudden severe seizure, and so they were taken to an orphanage. Lightning never really did find out what happened to her house, if it had been left in the government's care until she was old enough to take it back, or if it had been simply seized. It didn't matter though, because she hasn't returned there since leaving it.

Now, Lightning sat there by the window in Amodar's office waiting. There was no nurse, and Serah wasn't here using her leg as a pillow, and so she simply hugged her knees to her chest and curled up. Waiting was the hardest thing to do, and she would much rather be on the front lines where she could do _something_. A part of her just wanted to go back to Serah and just hold her close. The sharp clang of someone bumping into the door snapped Lightning out of her trance, and her head flung back like a whip to see Baxter walk in, mumbling to himself and rubbing the arm he had slammed into the door. "Lightning?" He sounded surprised at first before grinning, "Hey, the Lieutenant just sent me here to get something."

"Oh… okay…"

The older teenager shuffled through Amodar's desk and produced a mana drive before pocketing it. "It's rough out there." Baxter filled in the awkward silence, "I don't think we'll be back until - a _long_ time. You can probably head home for today."

Lightning nearly tumbled out of her chair when she scrambled to stand up, "H-How bad is it? Really bad?"

"Nothing we can't handle." Baxter hummed, moving to leave the office before hesitating at the doorway. He glanced back at her, seeing her standing as straight and stiff as an iron beam, and unblinking blue eyes wide with worry. "Well… most of it's already under control, and I guess we've called in the clean-up crews already. Do you want to come with?"

"Yes!" Lightning immediately answered, lurching forward towards Baxter to show that she would be diligently following him closely.

"Okay, okay. Just don't do anything dangerous. Or even better, don't do anything and just follow me around."

She snapped into a form perfect salute, "Understood!" Lightning shuffled after him eagerly, ignoring the slight chuckle he gave. The hallways were quiet, most students and instructors still held up in the last class of the day. A velocycle was parked outside, and Baxter climbed in first leaving Lightning a little lost as she stood left out on the side.

"You can sit on my lap. You're quite small."

"But-" Lightning protested, pursing her lips and frowning at the shrug he gave her.

"Or you can just wait here. This isn't a two seater y'know." It was embarrassing, and Lightning had always been one to keep distances. She had a very large personal bubble, and if it weren't Serah, then she'd always somehow and in someway, eject that person away from her vicinity. "Amodar's waiting for this mana drive."

She shuffled her feet, approached the velocycle awkwardly and stepped back, glaring at the machine as if it were her worst enemy. Baxter started the machine, and that set the kind of panic in Lightning that made her want to punch someone. "There's not enough room." Lightning replied tersly.

"Alright, I'm leaving then." The bike rose from the ground and the pink haired girl scrambled on, haphazardly seating herself in front of Baxter and huffing at his laugh when he reached around her to grab the steering. "See? That wasn't so hard." The machine shot forward, speeding through the streets of Bodhum towards the southeast end. "It's a big deal," Baxter started talking after a while, briefing her about the going concern, "A Cyclops. Those things never appear near towns, heck, or even on Cocoon! At least, I've never heard of it. They're rare, so the Lieutenant thinks someone released it here on purpose."

"Aren't they big though?" Lightning asked.

"Yeah, _huge_. I've got no idea how anyone would be able to smuggle one in without people noticing. But someone did, and that's why we have a Cyclops situation on our hands." She could see the multiple GC transports parked, forming that of a barricade guarded by patrolling soldiers on the outer perimeter. Baxter waited for Lightning to jump off before he followed suit, waving at her to follow as he head towards the forest populating the outskirts. There was a deep rumble that made nearby ground shake, like heavy and slow footfalls. "Calmed down a bit." Baxter commented, "Before I left, it seriously felt like an earthquake here. We've got it trapped inside one of our barriers, so all that's left is what to do with it now."

"Are you going to kill it?" Lightning bluntly asked.

He paused, and shrugged again, "Up to the Lieutenant. I mean, I don't even know what we _can_ do with it. We can kill it, but then what of the body? It's too big to dig a hole and bury it."

They passed through the trees, maneuvering through the overgrowth. Looking past the tree tops, Lightning could see the orange glow of the GC erected barriers already, occasionally flickering along with the heavy steps that now shook up her knees. She paid attention to the loud noises rocking the earth, and falling into nearly a daze as she followed Baxter, the sounds started to fade out until her world was completely mute. "_You get it." _Lightning walked on, unblinking and numbly listened to a voice she couldn't recognize speak to her. She sounded about her age, maybe younger, but there was that playful tone as if this other girl was mocking her. _"Y'know, at least go out in style, right?"_

"Who… are you?" Lightning whispered, but in the silence around her, it felt as if she were yelling.

"_I _finally_ found you." The girl stressed, "I really should've known. Where else? Bodhum obviously! Duh. I thought you might get a little nostalgic and suddenly show up to fight my Cyclops, and look at here! You show up!"_

Lightning abruptly stopped, and looked around the forest. She could see the wind rustling the leaves, feel the ground bumping beneath her feet, but she couldn't hear anything. "Where are you?"

"_Bah, I can't even do anything anyways. What's the point?" The mysterious girl started ranting, "I have to let you do your thing. Why don't you take a hike and go to Midgar? Hurry things up a little. It's really annoying having to keep track of all of you. It's like finding needles in a thousand haystacks. Fang, Vanille, Sazh, Sn- oops, almost let that one slip."_

"Where are you!" Lightning yelled, twisting around to look into the shadows of the forest.

"_If you start _screaming_ to yourself, people are going to start thinking you're crazy. Sheesh, you're hopeless. Well, let's see what good you really are!"_

A giggle, and then the sound came funneling back into her ear, making her head ring with pain. Lightning gasped, covering her ears with her hands, "Hey! What's wrong?" Baxter grabbed her by the shoulder and shook her lightly. "Are you alright?"

Blinking rapidly, Lightning shied away from him and nodded meekly. "Y-Yeah... I uh-"

It was a streak of vibrant crimson electricity that shot through the sky towards the barrier, striking it with a thundering clasp. Lightning watched, stilled with shock, as the barrier cracked. The loud stomping returned before a large bang shattered the air. The barrier collapsed like broken glass, and panic instantly erupted. "What the- Lightning!" Baxter yelled, shoving the pink haired girl roughly the way they came, "Go back now! Tell everyone at the barricades that the Cyclops has broken free! Go!"

He didn't even wait for her answer before sprinting off to where the broken barrier was. She spun on her heel and ran the other way, tripping over fallen trees and stringy plants. Lightning broke through the forest and staggered back towards the GC transports. In an instant, the other soldiers were upon her, no doubt concerned why she was suddenly looking so ragged since seeing her a few minutes ago, "T-The Cyclops! It broke the barrier!" Lightning yelled and set everything into motion immediately. The soldiers hustled, loading and equipping the weapons, calling out the domestic peacekeepers and any other military drones they had in supply. A hand snagged her arm and she was roughly dragged to safety, but she didn't get far. The floor shook heavily, the loud stomping coming faster and closer before the rows of trees before them were crushed by a large bulky red beast.

It loomed over them, and Lightning could see that any regular adult probably reached up to its stubby legs in height. Guns fired, flashing repeatedly to burn itself into Lightning's eyes. The large singular eye rolled, down sweeping over the Corps before it let out a mighty roar. It swung its club, sending the military drones and soldiers flying, tossing the transports several feet in the air. Several Guardian Corps were already hot in pursuit of the monster from where it had broken free. Lightning couldn't focus on anything other than the Cyclops that was staggering towards her. "Go! RUN!" The soldier that had been dragging her away pushed her forward before turning around and unloading his gun into the Cyclops.

Her heart was beating in her ears, pounding like that time she had fought the gorgonsopsid but ten times worse – no, a hundred times. A large explosion erupted from behind, lifting Lightning off her feet and throwing her forward. Choking at the rough crash into cement ground, she gingerly picked herself up and her ears were blinded by a piercing ring. Lightning looked back, panting heavily, and froze at the fiery destruction. The Cyclops stood in the middle, thrashing its club in large sweeping motions as the soldiers were launched into a frantic frenzy at its feet.

Lightning stood still, nearly entranced with the Cyclops erratic movements. She took in its large swipes, how it lifted its club far above its head and raised a foot off the ground, wobbling slightly, for hard hitters. It was a pattern, and like all living things, even a Cyclops would exhibit some sort of repetition of habit. "R-Right…" A shaky breath escaped, noting the times the beast lifted its leg up. "Okay. Right. _Right_." Twisting around, Lightning's mind whirled upon seeing the velocycle Baxter had used. "Yeah, okay. Right. Right. Right. _Right." _She repeated it over and over again as if it were some sort of mantra to psych herself up. Climbing onto the vehicle, she looked over the buttons. She had watched Snow and Gadot play those racing video games, so this shouldn't be much different, _and_ she had watched Baxter drive just now. As long as she could turn it on...

Pressing the buttons that Baxter had used to turn it off but in reverse order, Lightning sucked in her breath and held it as the engine revved to life. Twisting the wheel, she pushed it forward to move the velocycle forward, allowing it to drift. Only when she was a respectable distance away, did she turn the velocycle around to face the Cyclops on rampage. Shedding her jacket off, Lightning clambered forward to flip open the storage compartment right in front of the steering. She counted the seconds, watching how the Cyclops of swing it's body back to accommodate the weight of the club before bringing it down in a hard hit. Amodar was there, Baxter was there, and they could very well be dead, but so would Bodhum if the Cyclops manages to get into the city. "Serah." Lightning breathed as she tied one of her sleeves to the wheel, "Serah, Serah, Serah…"

The Cyclops swung its body back, and in the next second, Lightning slammed the steering wheel forward. The velocycle shot forward like a bullet, taking not even a moment to start up and Lightning pushed her weight to keep the wheel forward before stuffing the rest of her jacket into the storage compartment, then slamming it shut. The tied sleeve kept the wheel in place and stopped the velocycle from decelerating. It was now or never, and the longer the steering wheel was slammed forward, the faster the vehicle got. Lightning leapt out of the vehicle as it shot forward, crashing onto the ground harshly and rolling roughly on the ground.

She didn't feel any pain, not yet. Twisting around, Lightning watched wide-eyed as the velocycle slammed into the Cyclops mid swing, tossing it off balance right before it was going to lift its feet up. She watched it fall with bated breath. "Hit it now!" A distant yell came from the GC forces at the Cyclops feet. Multiple wires were shot from large turrets mounted on the remaining transports, piercing the monster's hard flesh to hold it in place.

Blood. Lightning chilled upon hearing its pained cry. Limping forward, she clutched her sore arm against her body, "N-No! Don't do that!"

The Cyclops thrashed violently, dragging one transport by the wires and flung it into another in attempts to dislodge the steel wire heads. The transports erupted in flames, and thick blood gushed from the beast's wounds. She was so focused, cemented in the thick fog of dread bubbling in her gut, that she no longer felt the pain in her body. Lightning started to run towards the Cyclops, tripping over her feet every few steps. "L-Lightning!" Twisting around, the young girl looked to the voice, her breath hitching when she saw Amodar standing on the other side of the Cyclops, "Get out of here!"

Time stopped when she watched helplessly as the Cyclops took a blind swing at Amodar when he had been distracted. He flew through the air, tossed like a ragdoll and slammed into a damaged transport. "A-AMODAR!" She sprinted forward, running as fast as possible until she couldn't feel her legs anymore. She didn't know what she was doing, but all that mattered was that she got to Amodar in time. Lightning thrust herself in between her Lieutenant and the Cyclops, looking up in fear as she Cyclops brought its hand down to crush them.

"LIGHTNING!"

There were so many voices. She had heard Amodar, had heard Baxter, but strangely enough she had heard Serah the loudest. Throwing her hands out in front of her, she watched in horror as the Cyclops closed in and at the last moment, a wall of flaming fire erupted at her fingertips, exploding into an uncontrollable firaga.

The beast wailed, thrashing as it caught fire and fell backwards. Lightning had belatedly noticed the large arm wrapping around her body, pulling her backwards into Amodar's body before Baxter stood protectively in front, arm raised and glowing with the mana drive he had retrieved earlier. "The blood!" Baxter yelled, "It's flammable! Use fire!"

It was a sea of flames, its vibrant light flickering in the dark crimson pool. The Cyclops' tortured wails and cries cackled with the fire. "Lightning! Lightning, it's alright." A large hand covered her eyes and she was turned away from the gruesome sight before her and hidden against Amodar's body. He held her tightly, so much that she was nearly crushed, but she clung onto him with her eyes clamped closed and begging for the cries to stop. She didn't know how long she had her face buried in Amodar's uniform, but she stayed there even long after the Cyclops had gone silent. All she listened to was Amodar's deep voice hushing her.

A gentle hand rested on her shoulder, and she was soon guided away. Everything was a blur afterwards and she numbly followed Baxter back towards the base. The transports were all busy carrying the wounded, and the reinforcements came in a tad late. There were casualties, deaths, but Lightning couldn't stem the relief knowing that Amodar was alive. "You really do have a knack for trouble." Baxter commented quietly as they walked along the sidewalk, "Seems like it always comes looking for you." She stared at the ground as she walked, and soon started to limp when the pain in her arms and legs returned. Her skin was scraped, blood trickled from the multiple cuts were gravel and dirt were lodged, and her cadet trousers were torn. "Here." He stopped abruptly and knelt down on the ground in front of her, "I'll carry you."

"I-I'm fine."

"Come on. You're limping. If I let you walk all the way there, Lieutenant Amodar would kill me."

"Amodar?" At the mention of the Lieutenant's name, Lightning nodded and climbed onto Baxter's back. Hooking his arms with her legs, he lifted her up, took a slight moment to find his balance before trudging onwards like a trooper. "Do you…" Her hands tightened around his neck as she rested her chin on his shoulder, "Do you think he's angry at me?"

He laughed, and it was a nice laugh like the ones he would laugh when he was teasing her. One that was so remarkably inappropriate given what had just happened, but it put Lightning at ease. "Angry? Maybe. But he's probably more angry at me."

"You?"

"Well, I am the one that said you could come. I thought everything was under control but… I was wrong." Baxter shifted, glancing back at Lightning from the corner of his eyes, "Sorry about that."

"Mnhmn." Lightning mumbled, shaking her head, "Not your fault." He didn't say anything afterwards. Exhaustion was slowly settling in, and Lightning's eye lids were growing heavier with every blink. She had stayed up the night before talking to Serah, and she expected a _normal_ day at cadet school. Not this. Her body hurt, and all Lightning wanted was to be home with Serah again. She drifted off to sleep unknowingly, her head lulling back and forth on Baxter's shoulder.

* * *

**I didn't expect this chapter to be so long... but then again the whole Cyclops attack was a last minute thing. It will be in this arc that Jihl makes first contact with Lightning, but I want to focus a bit more on Serah, Snow and maybe a little more of Lebreau. ****Now that I'm looking ahead into what this story has planned, I'm seeing a WHOLE lot of angst and eventually tragedy. You have been warned! ;D **


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 or FF13.**

* * *

By the time they had gotten back to the base, the cadet academy next doors was already empty and school had ended about an hour and a half ago. A sudden jolt woke Lightning from her sleep, leaving her dazed when she rolled her head straight again on the older teen's shoulder. "Finally awake?" Baxter's voice greeted her and only then did she remember where she was and what had happened. Scrambling off his back, she suppressed the shock of pain going up her ankle and carefully balanced her weight.

"Sorry…"

"It's fine. You're not that heavy." Baxter waved off her concern as they stepped onto base grounds. In an instant, other soldiers and medics flocked to them. He had gone off to make a report to superior officers that weren't on site for the Cyclops attack while Lightning was unwillingly pulled away towards a mobile medic ward with its equipment scattered across the ground to deal with minor injuries. She was partially lost in all the chaos, allowing it to whip her up like a tornado before she was deposited on a white bed while a nurse tended to her scrapes and cuts.

"Does it hurt?" Lightning shook her head, refusing to admit to any pain even as the antiseptic was daintily dabbed onto her wounds. So instead, she pursed her lips and clenched her jaw. "You're still young. Why were you even there?" The nurse ranted, sounding angry and impatient, as if she actually _cared_. "There are so many little rocks and dirt... Looks like you were rolling in glass instead." It was _that_ bad? Lightning cast her eyes down to her leg, noting the black spots crusted over and the thin trails of blood drawn across her skin as if someone had taken a needle and a ruler to it. "I'm going to need to talk with the Lieutenant about this. Letting a child get hurt like this is unacceptable!"

Lightning grunted, "I'm not a child."

"I know who you are," The nurse said, peering up at her before she dug around in her pocket and revealed tweezers, "You're the talk of the base, but it doesn't matter how smart you are or how strong you are, _you're_ still a child." Lightning didn't argue, didn't bother pouting or protesting the woman's claim. She was familiar with these types of people who only thought what they believed to be the truth. She could've easily rebutted her with the question, 'what _is_ a child?' but she had no intentions to question authority or show any disrespect, especially not to someone that's in charge of her health. "Now, this is going to hurt." The nurse warned her fairly, "There are some rocks stuck so I need to pick them out. Why don't you lie down?" She did as told, looking up at the clear blue sky as she focused on ignoring the stinging pain to her leg. Although Lightning wasn't one for words, it was becoming obvious that the nurse loved to talk. "I thought the Cyclops had been detained inside a barrier."

"It broke free." Lightning mumbled, rolling her head to look down at her arm and realized that it would probably take quite a long time before she would be clean and ready to go home.

"I wonder if it was a malfunction. Seeing as how many soldiers were wounded, it must've been horrible."

"No. Not really."

The nurse stopped working and in her peripheral vision, she could see the slight frown donning her face as she regarded Lightning carefully, "People were hurt."

"People died." There was silence, a quiet moment dedicated to those who had lost their lives, but afterwards Lightning continued, "The Cyclops died too. It was horrible." The nurse hummed, a silent prod to keep Lightning talking even if it came out as some poorly strung together mumble that was barely audible, "The blood burned. It burnt to death. It kept… _crying."_

"That is horrible."

"Yeah…" Lightning listened to the tools clink together, and hissed slightly when the antiseptic was gently dabbed onto her leg. She tried her best to push the Cyclops out of her mind and listened to the nurse's humming to drown out the beast's cries. Bandages were carefully wrapped around her leg and ankle, which she may have twisted a little.

"You're… much different than what I expected." The nurse suddenly spoke up when she had started tending to Lightning's arm and gave the girl a warm smile, "So you are smart and talented, and any child can say that they're not a child. It's what kids like to say. You're just like my son. It's the most ironic thing in life because once you're older and you've lived a little longer, you sometimes think back and wonder if you can somehow rewind time."

"You want to be a kid again?"

She chuckled heartedly and Lightning gave her another good look. Silver hair, green eyes, and probably no older than early thirties. "I always think it's easier. No responsibilities, no drama… everything's much more simpler."

"Like NORA."

"NORA?"

"It's a stupid acronym. Their little code. Stands for 'No Obligations, Rules, or Authority'." Lightning huffed, "Kids from my orphanage."

"Maybe that's a _bit_ too extreme. For a second, I thought you were going to say the name Nora's stupid."

"No," Lightning shifted uneasily, "Why?"

"That's my name." The nurse smiled, "Nora Esthiem. Nice to meet you… Lightning."

"Nice to meet you too." Lightning said awkwardly, but the older woman simply kept that small gentle smile on her lips as she carefully lifted Lightning's arm and began to bandage it. "Uhm… thank you."

"Just doing my job." Nora hummed, "Does it hurt anywhere else? If you come back and find me tomorrow, maybe I can get ahold of a mana drive to quickly heal those cuts."

"I-I'm fine." Pushing herself from the bed, Lightning landed back onto her feet before turning to give Nora a bow, "Then I'll… see you tomorrow?"

"Of course, just come into the medical ward and ask for me."

…

With her head propped on her hand, her eyes skimmed over the multiple values and digits entered into the spreadsheet. Beside her, she had a steaming cup of tea to soothe her headache. She had long finished designing the database and had since handed it off to Raines, whom, as she had predicted, agreed _to facilitate_ her progress. It was late at night now, but Jihl has never been one to sleep any more than necessary and considered it a waste of her time. Leaning back on her chair, she opened a video and allowed the sounds to fill her silent office. It was the same video again, and she's seen it over and over again just to confirm her stance that Lightning had produced magic without a mana drive. She had to be absolutely sure, but there was no way to know without even interacting with the girl.

After reviewing her transcript and educational reviews, Jihl knew for a fact that Amodar hadn't taught her how to use a mana drive, and so she made the changes accordingly. After all, she had gotten Amodar off the hook for _both_ misconduct and negligence because they had told the blatant lie that Lightning had, _in fact_, already trained with mana drives. Now, she was simply covering her own tracks in case her little performance in that meeting had stung a certain PSICOM Colonel's ego. There were other stories she could feed others, but Jihl had always relied on facts and documentation rather than people's words.

It helped that she was the first PSICOM to have access to Guardian Corp cadets because she led this database merging project, and so she could make all the retroactive changes she needed. A deep chuckle purred from her throat as she regarded Lightning's profile photo and marked the intensity in which she stared at the camera. There was something there, some… insatiable _drive_ to attain. Lightning had certainly piqued her curiosity. To think, that this child would be enough of a reason for Jihl to falsify her records, take on tedious and mind-numbing projects, and to show a certain kind of investment and vulnerability to those perceptive enough to notice it. Mainly a certain Guardian Corp Brigadier General, and so she had to make sure to keep Raines firmly under her thumb.

Her phone on her desk beeped once, and Jihl raised an eyebrow at it. No one called her this late, not unless it was an emergency. Picking it up, she reclined on her chair and tapped on her desk, "Lieutenant Colonel Nabaat speaking." Granted, she was probably the only higher ranked official still at work. Her tapping stopped, her index finger drawing inwards with all of her other fingers into a fist. An emergency indeed. She was promptly notified of the unprecedented Cyclops situation in Bodhum, it's subsequent detainment only for it to break free afterwards. The Guardian Corps has requested for PSICOM aid and who was she to deny them help? "Send aid immediately, platoons 7 and 8 under my direct command are to move in and secure the area. Make sure there isn't another _unwelcomed_ presence there. A Cyclops doesn't just appear out of thin air."

"Understood."

"And prepare a transport for me." Jihl continued, "I'll visit Bodhum personally." Her phone met the receiver with a small click, cutting the line as Jihl rose from her seat. She didn't know if she could consider this a stroke of luck, but it's becoming apparent that even fate favors her and deals her the cards she wants. Although Lightning may be a cadet under the Guardian Corps, and the Guardian Corps being the face of public security, Bodhum was on Cocoon, and on Cocoon the PSICOM has precedence. So it would be expected that she would take a situation that has gotten out of control into her own hands to ensure the safety of her people.

She would bring aid to those who have suffered losses, bring protection to the people, and in exchange she would gain their support. Surely, the people would appreciate her decisiveness and prompt course of action. However, Jihl drew her hazel eyes over to the few metallic cases holding the newest Cocoon prototype of a weapon meant to award distinguished soldiers. Perhaps she should bring a soon-to-be gift. A small incentive… as well as a declaration of sorts. Amodar _should_ be worried, because she was sure Lightning would appreciate a Blaze Edge.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 or FF13.**

* * *

There were a million excuses Lightning could've came up with, but the moment her sister looked at her with those beady eyes, she emptied her gut and hurled out the truth like it was some bad dinner. Walking back to the orphanage with her leg and arm practically encased in bandages definitely didn't help Lightning make her case. "I'm alright. _Really_." Lightning insisted, floundering internally in panic when Serah started crying. Her sister had literally just dropped what she was doing before she started _bawling_ without warning right in the middle of the orphanage's common room in front of everyone. "Please stop crying. _Please?"_

_"_No! Stupid Cyclops!" Serah yelled, curling up in a ball on the ground before crying even harder.

Lightning looked helplessly around her at the people, mostly the other kids, "Serah-"

"Hey, what's going on?" Of all people. Lightning fought the urge to roll her eyes when she heard Snow's obnoxiously loud voice boom over them, and like magic, even Serah was reduced to a few sniffles. The other kids around them parted as Snow and _his buddies_ walked in.

_"_Nothing." Lightning grunted, frowning as he approached with wide blue eyes. He looked at her, then at Serah, and then back at her again with that idiotic expression that reminded Lightning of a fish. He didn't ask again and instead sat down on the ground beside Serah and started laughing_. Like_ as in laughing his ass off and he didn't stop. He looked absolutely ridiculous.

Whatever he was doing though, Marqui and Yuj started laughing too, then Gadot and Lebreau, and then nearly everyone else. It was as if his laughter was somehow infectious because Lightning could see the quirk in the corners of Serah's lips. Everyone was laughing for no apparent reason, leaving her to be the only one standing there with a vacant look of disbelief. Suddenly, Snow stopped laughing, biting on his lip and everyone stopped laughing but sported dorky grins. Was it some sort of game? Like 'Simon Says' or more like 'Follow the Leader'? Who the hell put Snow in charge? "There!" Snow announced, grinning cheekily at Serah, "Now that's more like it!"

Wiping her eyes, Serah sat up properly and nodded shyly, "Okay…"

Both looked up at Lightning, but before the older Farron could even formulate her next words, Snow spoke up again, "Y'know Sis, you shouldn't make Serah cry."

"Snow, don't-" Lebreau interrupted, her voice rushed and panicked but it was too late.

Lightning was entirely sure what possessed her, but it was nothing she had control over. It was ugly and angry. Very, _very_ angry. Taking one stride forward, her arm wound back before she slammed her fist into the boy's face, knocking him down onto the ground. Every gasped, "H-Hey!" Gadot yelled, staggering forward to grasp Lightning's shoulder, but she shoved him off. It was suffocating, she couldn't breathe properly, and everyone was staring at her in shock or fear.

"You think I wanted to?" Lightning hissed, her voice trembling with rage and indignation. They were all staring: staring as if she was some sort of _monster_. Turning on her heel, Lightning stormed out of the room and out away from the orphanage. She needed out, she needed to be away and alone. It was unfair, everyone was treating her unfairly and she couldn't stand it. The pain of her ankle of wounds were numbed by the pounding turmoil raging within. Snow had _no_ right to say _anything_. Everything she has done and do is for Serah and the only thanks she gets is _him_ telling her that she shouldn't make her sister cry. Damn it, Lightning had wanted to shove the closest TV remote down his throat. Secluding herself in a nearby park, Lightning huddled to herself and sat up against a tree.

She hated Snow. She hated his face, his _stupid_ grin and his annoying laugh. She hated how he was taller than her, how he could make Serah laugh, and how he could spend his days with her sister while she's off in cadet school training to become a soldier. She wanted to become the solider for Serah, to make some money and take care of Serah but then her sister throws a tantrum about her doing what she's supposed to do. Closing her eyes, Lightning allowed herself to wallow in her resentment and spent every second persuading herself to hate Snow even more. Even as footsteps approached her, she didn't bother looking up. "H-Hey…" Came Lebreau's tentative voice.

"Leave me alone."

"Uhm… Serah's… crying again." She kept her eyes clamped shut, and much to her annoyance, the other girl didn't take her message to heart and _didn't_ leave her alone. "Serah's just worried about you-"

"You don't get to speak for her." Lightning snapped, finally opening her eyes to glare at Lebreau. She looked momentarily shocked, but the girl steeled her nerves.

"I don't, but at least she talks to me."

"_What_?" Lightning growled, causing the other girl to recoil.

Lebreau stood her ground, albeit a little shakily, "You're always busy with your own things, but don't you know how worried Serah gets? She's scared that you won't come back - a-a-and I know you're just going to school but I mean, you're going to be a soldier. That's dangerous! Serah thinks it's dangerous! You came back today and you're hurt. I'm - er - Serah's worried and scared! It's like I spend more time with her than you do, b-but I know you love her, but you're not here and… and…"

"I know that." Lightning seethed, and listening's to Lebreau's rant did not help alleviate her anger, "You, Snow, and all of your stupid friends… go mind your own business. You don't understand, and you'll _never_ understand. Even Serah doesn't understand."

"S-So?! It's not like you understand us! It's not like you understand Serah!"

The older Farron harrumphed and twisted her body away from Lebreau, "Leave me alone." Lightning grunted, "Talking to you is like talking to a brick wall."

"I can say the same thing!" Lebreau screeched, a few octaves higher than usual before she stomped back towards the orphanage muttering beneath her breath. The young chef glanced back, pursing her lips into a pout as she regarded Lightning sitting beneath the tree alone. She was always alone. Other than Serah, the older girl didn't talk to anyone as if she didn't have the time. A part of her felt sorry for Lightning, but realized that she had no one else to blame other than herself.

Her blue eyes were always focused forward, staring up ahead as if she could see something that no one else could see. It was the future; Lebreau could venture a guess, but the more Lightning chased after it, the further the distance between the two Farron sisters. Serah was still very much stuck in the present, always thinking about hanging out with her friends every day, counting down the seconds until Lightning would arrive home, and then everything was rinse and repeat. Lightning though, she thought ahead. She _always_ thought ahead and sooner or later, she was either going to unintentionally leave Serah behind or she was going to have to forcefully drag Serah along.

That night, Lebreau invited Serah to sleep in her room because it was already ten at night and Lightning still hadn't returned. The poor younger girl was stressed beyond her wit's end and it took a fair amount of coddling to get Serah to sleep. Only until midnight did Lebreau awaken to hear hushed and angry whispers. The floors of the hallways creaked outside her room's door. Carefully sneaking over without waking Serah, she opened a crack and peaked through, seeing Lightning standing at hers and Serah's room down the hallway with the people who ran the orphanage, "Where did you go at a time like this!? Don't you know how much we-"

"I know." Lightning interrupted, her tone hard and clipped. Lebreau had always known Lightning to be strict and serious, but there was a slight change that clearly went unnoticed by the adults. To her, it sounded cold and uncaring, and Lightning had _never_ been uncaring. The pink haired girl yanked open her door, "I can take care of myself." She slammed the door shut behind her and Lebreau hastily closed her door and rushed back to her bed.

Resting there listening to Serah's steady breathes, she stared up at the white ceiling of her room. If Serah was here, that meant Lightning's room was empty. With a sinking feeling in her gut, she twisted around to see the younger Farron curled up in a ball on the other side of her bed. Lightning cared for Serah like no one else, not even Snow, and sometimes Lebreau thought it a bit too possessive, but for Serah's sake, she hoped Lightning's change tonight wasn't permanent.

The next morning, Lightning left before any of them had woken up.

…

From the distance, she could already see the effects of the attack. Dark phumes were still rising, polluting the once clear sky. Jihl crossed her arms and legs, and looked to the pilot, "I want to see the extent of the damages myself. Fly over, round once, and then go to the base."

"Understood."

The transport smoothly glided towards the zoned off area, skirting around the dark clouds. She could see the battered transports, smashed to bits littering the ground, note the deep indents of the craters pounded into the ground and in the center of it all was the large carcass of the Cyclops in the middle, still burning. Jihl crinkled her nose at the putrid smell of the rotting and burnt flesh. A few GC troops were on sight, as were her PSICOM unit, already clearing the destruction. As ordered, the transport took one detour around before heading to the base. The communicator buzzed when she was within vicinity, and the pilot nodded his head towards her for permission. She nodded, and sat quietly listening to the pilot speak with the base operators. The request for landing went in, although the pilot had kept quiet about her presence and she preferred it that way. Considering the fact that Lightning was undoubtedly Lieutenant Amodar's favorite, she knew that he would most likely keep the cadet as far away as possible from her. Truthfully, aiding the relief efforts sat second in her priorities.

"The Blaze Edge I've brought with me," Jihl spoke evenly to the PSICOM pilot, "I'd like you to give it to Lieutenant Amodar. Tell him that it's the prototype for the new model. Let's just say it's an incentive... to encourage the top _cadet_ here in Bodhum."

"Understood."

"I will be personally surveying the damages from the Cyclops mishap immediately upon landing." Jihl continued. She knew she needed to play the cards the public wanted to see first and foremost before she delved into her more personal interests. "It won't be necessary to inform the Lieutenant of my arrival. I will speak with him myself later to negotiate the proper relief he needs."

"Understood."

Jihl hid a cunning smile beneath her austere expression. The GC base was approaching, and without an effort, the transport glided into a soundless landing. It was hard to even tell they had touched the ground. It didn't matter what, but as long as it was something or someone Jihl kept, it would always be something of the best. The best pilots, the best soldiers, the best researchers. The moment the door opened, the rotten scent of the corpse wafted into her nostrils along with the naturally humid Bodhum air. A PSICOM car was already waiting for her, and without greeting or informing anyone, she seated herself in it and was immediately taken to the destruction site.

The horrid smell only got worse the closer she got, and she was handed a face mask which she politely declined. Jihl walked through the soldiers clearing the rubble, stopping a short distance away from the dead Cyclops, "Why are you burning it?" Jihl asked, her words clipped, "It's releasing such repulsive smell."

One of the PSICOM soldiers that was previously there before her answered swiftly, "The body is too large to transport out so-"

"I don't care what I need to do to get this corpse out of Bodhum. The rotten smell is filthy and spreading throughout the city. Think of the health of the people first and foremost. Call in one of the PSICOM military trains, we'll load the body onto there and dispose of it in the Hanging Edge. Far away from civilization. Get it done as soon as possible." Her 'as soon as possible' meant 'now,' and the soldier in attention snapped into a perfect salute before rushing off to do as told. Spinning on her heel, Jihl briskly walked around the area, seizing up the damage and counted off orders to the soldiers flanking her side, "Bring in the drones and remove this rubbish. I want this gone by two days. Clean the area and begin contracting construction companies to rebuild all damaged property. Contract companies from within Bodhum only, the PSICOM will pay for all costs. It's necessary to inject some capital considering the negative effects this... attack would have on tourism. Ramp up security around city borders. I will be back tomorrow morning." Then, just as quickly as she had walked on-site, Jihl left. In her mind, she laid out her thoughts clearly and concisely, planning out her schedule. She would need to address the public, give them her assurance that all necessary steps to relieve them of this situation is being done. Her finger tapped against her crossed arm, hazel eyes drifting over the passing streets and people.

When the car pulled to a stop outside the GC base, her hand sought to door handle before she froze slightly, catching sight of a very familiar pink haired girl trotting towards the cadet academy. Glancing down at her wrist watch, Jihl retreated her hand from the door and rested it on her lap. "Lieutenant Colonel?" The driver asked, looking at her through his rear view mirror.

"Invoke my name - I am Spark." Jihl said with a breathy chuckle, "I believe that is fitting." Before the other could say anymore, she opened the door and cleanly stepped out. Perhaps she was getting a little ahead of herself. Was she overstepping bounderies because of this pique in curiosity? Well, Jihl thought with slight amused resignation, that she was the type to go to extreme lengths for things she finds great interest in. There was some unspoken and unseen quality about Lightning that drew her in. A small... _spark_.

…

She was exhausted. Her arms and legs felt like heavy logs of wood and her eyes stung every time she blinked. Lightning hadn't slept at all last night; spent most of the time lying in there staring at the empty bed beside hers. She wasn't dumb, not as dumb as Lebreau tried to make her out to be. Understanding Serah wasn't hard, but what she couldn't understand was why Serah didn't understand. It would be stupid if Serah thought that she was responsible for every decision Lightning made. It was a partial truth, but hadn't anyone realized that maybe being a soldier was something Lightning was good at? Her skill was something of substance she was proud of; something solid she could hold onto. Without it, she'd just go back to being Claire. Useless, _weak_ Claire and Lightning wanted _nothing_ to do with _her_ anymore.

Waking up to a bleak morning where the sun was blotched out by the thick smoke and the air stinky with the stench of a rotting and burning corpse, Lightning trudged tiredly to the cadet academy. Not to mention she wanted to find Nora Eisthiem as soon as possible because the cuts on her legs and arms were starting to itch. A lot. Marching into the academy, Lightning headed straight for Amodar's office and quietly dreaded whether or not she'd be at the brunt of the man's anger again. He had been livid when she fought the Gorgonopsid, so she had a hard time imaging how he would react if he knew exactly of her involvement with the Cyclops.

So it was reckless to jump off of a velocycle accelerating to full speed, but then again, Lightning wasn't exactly 'smart' when it came to self-preservation whenever someone she cared about was in danger. Especially if she was in a position to actually _do_ something about it.

Her knuckles cracked against the door, and she stepped in without waiting for permission. However, Amodar wasn't busy looming over the paper work needed to be filled out about the Cyclops situation, nor was he on the phone giving out orders, but he was standing by his desk looking into a black case. He let out a long, impressed whistle, turned around to see Lightning and flashed her an unexpected grin. He… wasn't mad? "You're early." He said, glancing at the clock.

"I couldn't sleep." Lightning murmured, deciding to keep the fight she had with Serah a secret.

"Baxter filled me in. Told me why you were there during the Cyclops attack." He said softly, his grin transforming into a extremely fond and tender smile. "But the next time some monster's about to flatten me into pancakes, I _don't_ want you jumping in like that. Got it? We don't need two pancakes."

Lightning raised an eyebrow, already feeling the tension lifting from her shoulders, "Lieutenant, are you hungry?"

"Well," Amodar laughed soundly, "I guess pancakes do sound good." He waved her over to the case, "But before that, I want you to see this."

"What is it?"

"The prototype of the weapon meant to be gifts of recognition given to our most highly trained soldiers." Amodar announced, "The Blaze Edge. The PSICOM brought it along with them. They said it was meant to be… an incentive for our top cadet, and we all know who that is. It's great! Fantastic!" He smiled cheekily, "Keep it up! I bet this baby will soon be yours to keep!"

"The... Blaze Edge?" Lightning breathed as she looked down at the weapon, sharp, pristine, folded neatly in it's black case wrapped in velvet.

"You should be proud. I've never seen a cadet receive such an honor let alone our actual soldiers." Lieutenant Amodar laughed as he ruffled Lightning's hair, "You've just made a name for yourself. I'm sure scholarships would be coming left and right now, even the PSICOM won't overlook your achievements. You've made us proud-"

"Yes," A third voice, an unfamiliar voice, purred and in an instant Lightning could feel her senses tingle as she fought a shiver. Both turned around and she swore she felt Amodar's hand tighten around her shoulder as a blonde woman walked in through the same door Lightning had just moments ago. Hazel eyes drifted over her, judging her for her worth that even a fourteen year old could see for herself. "Very proud." The woman said again and smiled kindly that even her eyes seemed to crinkle slightly at the side.

"Colonel Nabaat." Amodar greeted without his usual heartiness, instead his voice was low and terse, "What brings you here to Bodhum? Vacation?"

"Vacation?" Again, the woman laughed as if it was the most ludicrous idea in the world, "No, I came especially for the rumored battle prodigy that had somehow dropped straight into your waiting arms. Lightning was it?"

She was about to salute the woman yet Amodar's hold didn't relent, "Yes, this is her." He pushed her forward slightly but kept a firm eye trained on the blonde even though her attention seemed solely focused on the young preteen. "Lightning, I'm sure your next class is about to start. You don't want to be late."

Nodding, she swiftly saluted the Lieutenant before bowing her head slightly to the blonde woman. 'Next class?' Lightning thought quietly to herself as she excused herself from the office. Her classes weren't going to start for another hour and a half.

…

Jihl could feel Amodar's apprehension wash upon her in waves. "I jest." Jihl hummed, smiling at the man as if she had all the secrets of the world to tell. "We both know I'm not here on vacation. You requested for PSICOM assistance, and I answered your plea for help. Oh, and I'm not a Colonel just yet."

"Seeing that you're here personally, I think having Bodhum's support would put you one step closer." Amodar said stiffly, "Thank you for your timely help."

His gratitude was obligatory from the standpoint of his occupation, but Jihl knew he hadn't meant a word of it as a separate individual. As if to test his limits, she gave him another cunning smirk, "It's been while since I've seen Lightning. Tell me, how has she been?"

"Peachy."

She laughed; for the first time without any constraints. Regardless though, she still looked just as prim and graceful. He sounded so terse. So… _threatened, _and she found an incomprehensible amount of glee in it.

* * *

**Jihl closes in!**

**Amodar: "Flee my child! FLEE!" ;D**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 or FF13.**

* * *

There was nothing quite as mind numbing as listening to the instructor drone on and on about some outdated war strategy that predates the past century. Lightning had never been fond of history so it was natural that she'd be staring at the clock and watching the second hand tick as if her life depended on it. Her thoughts occasionally wandered back to last night, but she quickly banished all memories of Serah crying her eyes out. She felt a twinge of guilt, however Lightning's decision in joining the military was something Serah had to accept. Instead, Lightning thought of this morning, and thought of Lieutenant Colonel Jihl Nabaat. Now _that_ brought a smile to her lips. To think that someone as important as her would even remember her name, let alone say that she was here to see Lightning specifically. It may have been a joke, Lightning couldn't tell from how light yet confident her voice was, but it was still flattering regardless. She had even forgotten to go see the nurse. The moment the bell signaling the beginning of the lunch period rang, Lightning bolted from her seat and left the cadet academy grounds and onto the base.

It was busy with PSICOM soldiers and vehicles, a bit surprising considering the grounds had been void of them just last night. No one questioned her presence though, and Lightning walked into the base towards the reception desk. "Excuse me?"

A woman peered from her screen and gave her a warm smile, "How can I help you?"

"I'm looking for Nora Eisthiem. She's a nurse here."

"Oh, Nora? I'll call her up for you."

"Thank you." Bowing her head, the pink haired girl shuffled away.

It wasn't long before she saw Nora walking towards her with a friendly wave, "How are the cuts?"

"Itchy."

The woman laughed melodiously, resting her hand on Lightning's back and guided her further into the base, "Shouldn't you be in class? I expected this morning or maybe later today."

"It's lunch right now… and I didn't pack a lunch."

"It's not good to skip lunch." Nora began sagely, but whatever advice she was giving Lightning wasn't heard. On the other end of the hallway stood a group of PSICOM soldiers, and there was no way that she could've missed the flash of golden blond hair. Lightning held her breath, and as if the Lieutenant Colonel had eyes behind her head, she turned around. Hazel met blue. The eye contact wasn't long, and Lightning could hardly nod her head in a greeting before the Lieutenant Colonel turned her back to them and continued talking with the soldiers around her. "Lightning?"

"Hm?" Twisting her head up, she saw the questioning look Nora was giving her, "I- uh… that was Lieutenant Colonel Nabaat."

"A little star struck?" Nora teased as she led Lightning into a corner of the nurses' station and patted a large chair with her hand. Lightning sat up on it as told, watching as a mana drive was pulled out from the drawer situated beside her. "That woman definitely is a good role model for females." Nora said, as she clipped the mana drive around her wrist, "I'm not particularly a feminist myself, but you could say it's an extension; I mean, mom's are tough."

"Right, you're a mom." Lightning mumbled, vaguely remembering her mention something about a son.

"His name is Hope, but he's in Palumpolum with his dad right now." Nora winked playfully at her, "I told him about you, and for some reason, he sounds excited to meet you."

"Meet me?"

"Well, he's never had many friends. He's such a nice boy, but he's rather introverted."

Lightning wasn't exactly sure what she should say, "Oh. Uhm… why are you here?" Realizing that it probably sounded offensive, she quickly amended her statement, "I mean, your family is in Palumpolum. So…"

"I'm just here on training."

"Training?"

"Yes. Hope's old enough to take care of himself now, and I got tired of being a housewife." She dug through a box of utensils, "I'm going to remove the bandages." Her scissors cleanly severed the white wrappings, revealing cuts and scrapes that were already scabbing. "You're a quick healer." Nora commented.

"A quick healer, a quick learner; your name is quite fitting. If I remember correctly, you are light on your feet as well." A third voice, strong and silky interrupted their conversation. It made both females jump, turning to see Lieutenant Colonel Jihl Nabaat standing there with her arms crossed loosely to appear neither welcoming nor intimidating, but striking a keen balance inbetween.

"Lieutenant Colonel!" Nora bowed, "This is a surprise!"

Those hazel eyes had glanced over at the woman, hardly lingering for a few seconds before they trained onto Lightning's azure blue. The young girl swallowed thickly, clumsily staggering off the chair to snap into a proper salute. "At ease. Please, continue what you were doing." Jihl dismissed as she regarded the countless cuts and scrapes on Lightning's arm, and then drew her eyes down to her bandaged leg, "Those are some nasty cuts. I'm surprised Amodar would allow for such… _unforgiving_ training regimens."

"Training?" Nora repeated and shook her head, "No, Lightning was present at the Cyclops attack."

It was miniscule, and if Lightning hadn't been staring so intently, she would've missed the slightest rise of Jihl's eyebrows on her perfectly calm and neutral expression. "Were you?" Jihl asked, and this time it was obvious the question was directed at Lightning.

"Y-Yes." Lightning cleared her throat, ignoring the soft green light that came from Nora's mana drive as it healed her cuts.

"Are you brave or reckless?" Jihl hummed, smiling ever so slightly, "Perhaps both. Bravery is an astounding quality to have, however, I would urge you to be more careful. It would be a shame to lose someone of such promising talent."

"T-Thank you!" Fighting the blood from rushing to her face, Lightning couldn't contain the eager grin from spreading across her face.

At that, Jihl nodded her head, smiling more fully. "Keep up the good work." Resting her hand on Lightning's shoulder, she gave her a soft squeeze, "I hope to continue hearing good things about you."

"Understood!" Lightning snapped into salute again despite being seated with Nora healing her leg now. Leaving with a soft chuckle that long continued to ring to Lightning's ears, Jihl left with a simple wave of her hand.

It was infectious, Lightning's smile didn't dim for a second and even Nora laughed, "You're always so serious, but you've got a beautiful smile." Taking a seat beside Lightning, she nudged her elbow into her waist lightly, "Maybe I can introduce you to my son. I'm _sure _you two would get along."

"No, I don't have time." Lightning said, jumping onto her feet, "I _have_ to do good now."

"I'd say you're doing pretty good already." Nora tilted her head at Lightning, "How long is your lunch period?"

"An hour."

"Ah, to be a young again and have hour long lunches." Nora sighed, "Do you want to get lunch with me? My treat."

"Really? I can pay you back-"

"Nonsense! A congratulation party hm? Just the two of us."

"Okay!" Lightning's smile was so genuine and innocent that it made Nora feel younger just by being seeing it. There was a little part in everyone that would always remain a child. It really was a beautiful smile, and one that she hoped Lightning wouldn't lose.

…

He wasn't so sure if he should be more stressed about the Cyclops situation or having Jihl so close. With one glance at Lightning seated beside his desk, Amodar huffed and glared at his unfinished paper work. Oh, he was _definitely_ more stressed about having Jihl here. He had expected PSICOM relief forces to trickle in because that was how these relief requests would always work. The problem has already been dealt with, and even if there was damage, it wasn't extensive enough to warrant such a complete effort. No, there wasn't any stress from the Cyclops situation at all because Jihl has already dealt with it in a blink of an eye.

_Politics_.

Amodar internally cursed. Jihl always plays her cards carefully, so was she truly here to earn more public support, or was there another reason? A certain cadet that this Blaze Edge has been presented to in an unspoken promise. Perhaps his ill will towards Jihl was undeserved, but there was a gut feeling. It was horrible and heavy, making Amodar's stomach sink as if he had swallowed a pile of rocks. He needed to get himself out of this rut and there was no better distraction than Lightning. Placing his pen down, he looked to see Lightning buried nose-deep in the assignment he had given her but, strangely enough, there was a small happy quirk on her lips. "You're in a good mood."

"Nora bought me lunch." Lightning hummed without taking her eyes off her work.

"That's nice of her." Amodar chuckled, "She gave me an earful that day about letting you near the Cyclops. It wasn't even my fault!"

"She healed my cuts too." Lightning continued, "But the lunch was a party. She bought me a big behemoth steak."

"Uh-huh."

"Dessert too! Chocolate ice cream."

"You sure like chocolate. Even the milk you drink is always chocolate."

"It's good."

Strange, but definitely not unpleasant. He had never seen Lightning so… _child-like_ for the lack of better terms, nor has he ever heard her talk so much. "I buy you lunch sometimes, _and_ ice cream. Where's my thanks?"

For the first time, Lightning looked up from her work with wide-eyes, "I said thank you."

"Yeah, but that's different. Nora buys you lunch and you're," he vaguely motioned his hands at her, "you know."

There was a moment of silence, and Amodar could see Lightning watching him carefully before she slowly explained, "I met Lieutenant Colonel Nabaat today." No matter how hard he tried to hide it, Amodar tensed and the heavy feeling in his gut returned.

"I know, I was there this morning."

"No, it was during lunch." Lightning said quietly, "Nora was healing my cuts and the Lieutenant Colonel saw us. She said I was talented, and that I was doing good."

"She praised you?" Amodar said, forcing a lighter tone in his voice, but he knew Lightning knew him better than that.

"I know." Lightning hastily answered, "I mean, it's probably something she says to everybody." No, Jihl rarely, if _ever_ praises someone. "She didn't mean it." Jihl _always_ means everything she says. "She'll probably forget later anyways." Amodar sucked in a deep breath, and shook his head slightly. Lightning didn't know Jihl like he did, and he knew that Jihl _never_ forgets. The young girl lowered her head slightly and said in a small voice, "I just… i-it helped after..._that._"

"Lightning, I'm here if you ever want to talk." Amodar said gently, "You looked… tired this morning. Did something happen?"

Taking a deep breath, Lightning shrunk even further into her seat and glared at the paper in front of her, "I… made Serah cry last night."

"Why?"

"I cut my arm and my leg a little, and so I had bandages but she just… suddenly started crying."

"She was worried about you."

"I know. It's just… I _get_ it, but she doesn't _get_ _me_." Lightning whispered, "And… And then Snow could stop her crying even though I was _begging_ her to stop. It's not like I wanted to make her cry, but it's not like there's anything I can do. Everyone's saying how I'm not spending enough time with her, and I know Serah thinks that too. I'm at school though! I'm here! I'm not at the orphanage, because I'm not learning there, I'm not playing there, and… other than Serah, _nothing_'s there."

"Do you want me to speak with Serah?"

Lightning shook her head, "Snow's so stupid. I hate him."

"Jealous?"

"N-No!" Lightning yelled, pursing her lips petulantly.

"Lightning," Amodar started, "you _are_ doing good. You're doing great! As a cadet, as a future soldier, _and_ as a sister. I know you, and I know how much you care about Serah. She's still young, and she's just scared that she might lose you just like how you two had lost your parents. Then, she'd _really_ be alone. Snow can't take your place. _No_ one can. Just like how no one can take Serah's place. I promise you and Serah, I'm never going to let anything bad happen okay?"

"But… what if something happens to you?"

"Hey, I'm a big man. I can take care of myself."

"But the Cyclops…"

"That was a lucky hit." Amodar insisted, "I don't want you two sisters fighting. Now _that_ will kill me." Lightning still had that dark expression on, and no father would ever want to see his own daughter sad. Even if it put a heavy pit in his stomach, Amodar bore it, "Look, the Lieutenant Colonel was right. I'm sure if you tell Serah what Lieutenant Colonel Nabaat had said, she might change her mind. After all, what better endorsement than Cocoon's favorite soldier?"

"I-I guess."

"Lightning, that woman is all over TV." Amodar leaned back on his chair, "Everyone's heard of her. Did you know that the Cyclops situation is nearly all cleaned up? The air's a lot cleaner now, reconstruction is already due to start soon."

"It's only been one day."

"When you've got power and name, _and _the funding, this stuff is like a walk in the park. Do you know who did this? The Lieutenant Colonel. The soon-to-be Colonel of the PSICOM. Youngest in history. She's… someone you can trust, but… just be _very_ careful."

Lightning scratched the back of her head, momentarily looking slightly bashful, "She… said I was brave too. And reckless."

"Both are correct." Amodar grinned solemnly, "Now, why don't we go and get a barrel of chocolate ice cream? We can bring it back to the orphanage for everyone."

"Serah likes vanilla."

Throwing his head back, he let out a booming laugh. "Vanilla it is. Or both."

...

Back at the orphanage, the air was thick, but shoving Lightning forward slightly Amodar smiled watching her lift the ice cream awkwardly, "I… got some ice cream…"

"Light!" Serah yelled, dashing over to envelop her sister in a big bear hug.

"Sis!" Snow echoed, but screamed it at the top of his lungs to send everyone in the room into a laughing fit. Amodar understood why Lightning disliked him. Jealousy was an ugly expression of love, but he hoped that she would see that Snow had his heart in the right place.

"Hey bub," Amodar chortled, standing in the boy's way as if he was a bouncer at a bar, "No touchy."

"Okay! I'm backing off. Slowly. _Very_ slowly." Snow grinned with his hands held up in surrender. The rest of the night turned into one of those memories that Amodar knew he would treasure until his death. Serah never left Lightning's side, listening excitedly when Lightning told her about Jihl. Although there was a slight stab in his chest, he had never seen Lightning so animated. Her happiness was infectious, probably because Lightning hardly ever showed any form of joy, so Serah had the widest smile ever as well. Lounging back on the couch, Amodar rested his feet up on the table to relax. Snow soon joined him, imitating his posture but with a bowl of mixed vanilla and chocolate ice cream seated on his gut. His young blue eyes looked to Serah and Lightning before smirking up at Amodar. He lifted his bowl of ice cream as if toasting him. "Gotta keep the girls happy."

"Got that right."

* * *

**Ooooh... Jihl plays it slow and carefully... Get into Lightning's mind and then you wait for her to come to you.**


End file.
